Moreover, we need a political environment, and politicians with sufficient courage, to implement such policies effectively".
To some extent, the middling ratings for Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney probably reflect the difficult environment for politicians of all kinds.
An October 10th poll found a record 60% of Americans willing to sack and replace every member of Congress, including their own.Into that combustible environment come politicians eager to portray their opponents as flouting legal norms.
Now Mr Dimas faces his hardest task yet: defending Europe's hard-won commitments on the environment against politicians and companies fearful of looming recession.Two policies painstakingly constructed by Mr Dimas over the past few years are in jeopardy.
In the current environment, will politicians, even those who courted him in the past, want be seen at his side, or risk their careers to come to his aid?
This means that in the competitive political environment, local politicians have become increasingly influenced by vocal Islamic leaders and their demands that the state enforce a certain form of Islamic orthodoxy.
It is practically an exercise in futility to attempt to clean the environment when politicians are corrupted by bribes, industrialists pollute rivers to maximize profits and scientists put aside their ethics for funding.
Perhaps, this will create an environment where politicians will be bold and honest enough to engage the public in a serious debate about how these difficult choices should be made, particularly in health.
In today's political environment, a politician's record of votes and legislation is seen as nothing but ammunition for the other side.
That represents a profound change in Europe's financial environment, which Greek politicians, along with many economic analysts, still fail to understand.
