Britain isnt alone. Other allies are wondering about their relationship with America as well. Japan fears that the elevated emphasis the US has put on relations with China will come at its expense. India worries about this too, particularly in light of deeper US engagement with Pakistan. Poland worries about being sacrificed as the US resets its relations with Russia. Israel is concerned that in reaching out to the Islamic world, America is abandoning it.

The art of diplomacy is about talking to your enemies and advancing your interests. But if engaging your enemies means losing your friends, it becomes a self defeating proposition. The risk for America is that if our allies decide that they cannot rely on a strong United States, they will turn elsewhere. Britain and Poland could move closer to the foreign policy positions of Germany and France, weakening the Atlantic alliance. Japan talks about a more independent role, but in reality this means hedging its bets and cozying up to a rising China . Even India might be forced to be more accomodating to China, as the impetus for an alliance of Asia’s democracies fade.

These predictions may be unduly gloomy, and the Administration is belatedly trying to talk up its relationships with its allies. But there is still a point to be learnt. In reaching out to enemies or rivals, we gain nothing if we lose our friends.

So here is the good news. Washington proves it is still capable of doing big things, even in the face of implacable partisanship. (I wish the Republicans hadn’t made this about Waterloo. They could have added a lot to making this bill better – more on that soon). It also effected legislation that puts us on a par with all other advanced nations in providing comprehensive healthcare for our people. That can’t be bad.

But the bill fails on one of President Obama’s biggest promises. It does nothing to lower the rising proportion of our GDP that we spend on health. I doubt it even bends the cost curve given that it relies on cuts in Medicare that Congress will never really enact, so forget those CBO numbers. In fact, it does nothing to prevent the impending bankruptcy of this country. The only “saving grace”  for supporters of the bill is that we were going to go bankrupt anyway – with or without this bill.

So, while I support the passage of Healthcare, I do so with strong reservations. This Act must be seen as the beginning of the overhaul of the healthcare system in this country, and not the culmination of it. It creates a more humane society, and curbs the worst of pernicious insurance company practices, but it does nothing to prevent the collapse of the system.

The Democrats have now firmly put healthcare reform on the road. That’s a good thing. Now wanted: some Republican engagement (real engagement, not meaningless talk of “repeal”) to take this flawed legislation to the next level.

As big as the healthcare debate is, there is a bigger story here. Is Washington now so broken that it is essentially not able to pass any meaningful legislation at all any more. With large majorities in the House and the Senate, and with control of the Presidency, if the Democrats cannot pass legislation they explicitly ran on, there is something seriously wrong with Washington and our system of government.

Filibusters are parliamentary procedures which were not meant to be used frequently. They are now used continuously bringing the governing of the country to a halt. Democrats, therefore, have the absolute right to use equally parliamentary procedures of reconciliation or the “deemed passed” package that the House will probably employ. The country has voted for the Democratic Party, and they should have the right to at least have a vote on their agenda, no matter how objectionable it is to the other side.

I do not believe that this healthcare legislation is an optimal solution. It expands medical coverage, which I applaud. But it will be costly, and not bend the cost curve let alone reduce the spending on healthcare. Given the impact this will have on the nation’s long term debt, we may yet regret the package of this bill. This is a legitimate question, and one that I personally wrestle with. But more important than even the fiscal deficit or unsustainable debt, we need to ensure we have a system of government that is able to govern at all.

Brazil is exercising its independence in foreign policy by not joining the international coalition against Iran. This, despite the fact that even Russia is sounding more positive on joining the US/EU line on Iran’s nuclear policy. What is actually at play here has nothing to do with Iran. Brazil aspires to play a global role. It even has a claim to a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. Fair enough. I actually think Brazil deserves it. But with increased power and influence comes increased responsibility. A foreign policy based primarily on defying the United States and not on the actual issue at hand is not the sign of a global power. Brazil lessens its own credibility when it chooses not to join global solutions to the critical issues of the day.

Israel is the other country on my list. I am normally quite pro-Israel. I profoundly believe in Israel’s right to exist in peace within secure borders. It is for that reason that I, along with Israel’s other friends (eg the United States government) favor a two state solution. The alternative is one state in which Jews ultimately find themselves in the minority. Announcing more settlements then is a mistake as it makes achieving a two state solution that much harder. Furthermore, by announcing it at the very moment when Vice President Biden was in the country, Netanyahu is clearly telling President Obama that it is not going to play ball on the peace process. This is very unfortunate for Israel. Not only is it deferring a fading opportunity for peace. It is also thumbing its nose to its closest ally, and that is something that is especially unwise for a country with as few friends as Israel.

Brazil and Israel are in two parts of the world, but both are demonstrating the same determination to set a foreign policy that is independent of Washington. This is their right. But to act against your own interests (or those of the world community) just to defy the US, is hardly the sign of confident or rising nations.

Houston, we have a problem.

It used to be that when Congressmen and Senators got to Washington, they would work with the other side and get things done. Now, with all the grandstanding on 24 hr news channels, they’re politicing, not governing. So, perhaps we should call their bluff on this grandstanding. If Republicans want to filibuster, let them. Let them stay up all night if thats what they want to do. (My gut is that they neither have the energy to do it, nor the guts to do it on TV). If progressives on the left want to push the Democratic Party out of the national mainstream at a time when the President is already having problems with his message, let them. They can put up primary fights across the country and lets see how the electorate reacts.

But for God’s sake, do something. Maybe we need total war before sheer exhaustion, or sheer shame, will get Washington governing again.

Why?

Because Congressmen are playing to their core constituencies only and not thinking of the bigger picture.

And why is this?

Because their districts back home have been gerrymandered so that their party will win no matter what. Their real political concern are challenges that come from further to the left or the right of their own parties. Given this, there is no incentive or even attempt at reaching a compromise with the other side. This is a problem that now pervades everything in Washington. Lack of honest democracy leading to a lack of national governance.

Perhaps a bigger question is why doesnt the public as a whole address this? After all, this is not new. Could it be because the nation as a whole is still complacent that the US will remain number one by right, and that the country doesnt need to get its act together to meet the challenges of the future? That is a dangerous assumption. We are now dealing with a world where rising powers are hollowing out our very industrial base (let alone national wealth). At least during the Soviet days, we had a focus that united us into taking tough decisions. Perhaps the pain of a long recession, or a rising China, will knock us out of our complacency and make us force Washington to take the tough choices necessary to secure America’s long term future.

Incidentally, note that Britain went from the biggest surplus to the biggest deficit in just 10 years. Shades of Iceland?