Surf the web or watch TV and you will probably conclude that
American politicians and American pundits don’t agree on much at
the moment. But that polarized public discourse obscures the
equally important fact that Americans are remarkably united when
it comes to determining what the big issues facing the country
are.  This isn’t a moment when the nation is divided between
isolationists, who want to focus on domestic issues, and
expansionists, who want to focus on the rest of the world; nor
is this an era when the political debate is about whether social
policy—those old standbys like abortion, gay rights and family
values—or economic concerns—be they poverty reduction or
business growth—should be pre-eminent.  Instead, everyone is
pretty much agreed on the big challenges facing America:
stimulating economic growth, balancing the budget and finding a
place for the United States in the world economy. There is even
consensus, at the broadest level, on what the country needs to
do to achieve all three: save more