Where Do We Go From Here?

Where do we go from here? "I think we're in a moment when political pundits and students of politics are not quite sure what the environment will be in 2006, whether we'll have this deep polarizing divide," Bennett says.

Burgess, of the Conflict Research Consortium, says he'll continue working on the political help-wanted ad he constructs in his daydreams. He wants a candidate who will stand up to "political manipulation," and explain to Americans how opportunistic politicians are distorting real debate for selfish purposes.

"Somebody's got to get up and explain to people how they're being manipulated," he says. "I think there's an opportunity for someone to run against it."

Then he considers what he has just said.

"I might be being naive."

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