“Following my June 19 post on bipartisanship as “foreign policy’s best hope,” I attended a discussion hosted by not-for-profit Partnership for a Secure America about ways the next President can work with both sides of the aisle on foreign policy and national security issues. Participants were Amb. Thomas Pickering, who has served under several Republican and Democratic Presidents; Bud McFarlane, former National Security Adviser to President Reagan; and Rick Barton, Senior Adviser, International Security Program at CSIS.

PSA’s Executive Director, Matt Rojansky, set the tone of the discussion in his opening: “The debate can be better, and therefore America as a country can do better.” What struck me immediately was the panelists’ earnest effort to engage in a dialogue. By no means did they hide from or apologize for their political leanings. But they listened to one another, conceded points, and tried, not entirely successfully, to find mutually acceptable solutions.”