Many Japanese watched on television at least part of the face-to-face debates between U.S. presidential candidates Al Gore and George W. Bush. Both candidates are said to be more or less middle-of-the-road types,with no defining differ ences in political philosophy. In my view, however, Bush showed himself to be a good Republican and Gore a good Democrat. They gave meaning to the debates by presenting contrasting policy options against a backdrop of the large budget surplus.

The debates reminded me of the relationship between former President Ronald Reagan and former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone. In those days, when the Cold War was still on, conservative parties around the world were bound by a degree of solidarity. They had much in common, not only in security matters, but in domestic policies, too. At least they seemed aware of the need to follow common policies. Reagan's policy was in no small measure Japan's policy as well.

There was a similar degree of commonality in the policies of Social Democratic parties. President Francois Mitterrand of France and Chancellor Helmut Schmidt of West Germany, for example, shared common beliefs but disagreed considerably with Reagan. The Gore-Bush debates are a reminder of the underlying differences in political philosophy that continue to this day.