In the foreign policy sector, there has been tough talk about North Korea and Taiwan, a planned reduction of troops in the Balkans, and a clear signal that America can no longer be counted on to be the world's cop on the beat. This is a very conservative agenda, which is what you would expect. Had Al Gore won the election, the last few weeks would have been quite different. In fact, it is safe to say that none if the above would have happened. And this is pretty much as it should be.
Elections are about making choices and picking winners.
George W. Bush was declared the winner of the election, and to the victor go the spoils. What makes this election so different from others over the last 20 years is that it also marked the end of a long era of divided government. Not since Jimmy Carter has the House, the Senate, and the White House all been under the control of the same party at the same time. Since the Carter era, partisan lines have become more sharply drawn. After 8 years of being outsmarted and outmaneuvered by Clinton, the social conservatives and the business conservatives are hungry for red meat in the form of legislation that advances their interests.