To the Point

National Security and Election-Year Politics

Saying he-s -tired of being the pin cushion- for rival Democrats, one week before the Iowa caucuses, front-runner Howard Dean has denounced his Democratic opponents again for being supportive of the war in Iraq. This, after authoritative reports that the war was unnecessary, that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction, and after Paul O-Neill-s claim that September 11 was only a pretext. But if national security is this year-s top issue, is opposition to war a winning issue for a party that-s perceived as weak on defense? A week before the voting begins, we discuss how that question is dividing Democrats with Democratic and Republican experts in the political process from the University of Virginia-s Center for Politics, the Progressive Policy Institute, the Campaign for America-s Future, and the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Making News: President Bush Tries to Mend Fences at Americas Summit For the second time in two days, President Bush has mended a fence with another national leader. Yesterday, it was Mexico-s President Fox. Today, it-s Canada-s new Prime Minister, Paul Martin. Maura Reynolds, who is in Monterrey, Mexico, covering the Summit of the Americas for the Los Angeles Times, says Bush has agreed to allow Canada to bid on reconstruction contracts in Iraq. Reporter's Notebook: Disability Rates Rise by 50 Percent in Americans 30 to 49 While disability is declining among America-s elderly, it-s increasing among the young, especially those between the ages of 30 and 49. Those are among the findings of a study released by the Rand Corporation. Dana Goldman, Rand's director of health economics, points to a sedentary lifestyle and inexpensive calories for part of the increase.