In Defense Of Heated Political Rhetoric  Shown in an undated
photo of United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt with his
pet dog Fala. i i  hide captionShown in an undated photo of
President Franklin D. Roosevelt with his pet dog Fala.   Shown
in an undated photo of President Franklin D. Roosevelt with his
pet dog Fala.   Is it possible to have American-style politics
without the kind of heated partisan rhetoric that is now in the
spotlight because of the Tucson shootings?  It's hard to
imagine. Our two-party system, which pits Republicans and
Democrats against each other in an endless struggle over just
how activist and large a role government should play in people's
lives, is tailor made for passionate arguments.  That's
especially true when each side sometimes honestly believes the
other side's approach to governing could be ruinous to the
Republic.  That can get people very passionate and passion means
emotion and sometimes emotion means getting carried away.
Politics is also, at bottom, about power.