MER - To stay the wrong course

<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> It is conjectural but conceivable that had Bush governed after September 11 as he campaigned in 2000, as a "uniter, not a divider", he might have been able to forge a durable centre-right consensus. That would have required appointing prominent Democrats to his cabinet, reining in his power-mad vice-president and secretary of defence, making moderate court nominations, and listening to the voices of sceptical realism on invading Iraq. Imagining this parallel universe underscores how Rove's victories helped pave the way to losing the potential for a lasting majority. <b on></b> </body>