To the Point

Can Republican Leaders Hold Their Party Together?

Republicans have the White House, majorities in Congress and more governorships than the Democrats, but do they have a united party? For all the talk about -moral values- in this week-s election, moderate Republicans are warning against a -narrow ideological agenda.- Fiscal conservatives are appalled by the deficit and massive spending, and many Republicans are against the war in Iraq. Is the GOP divided between true believers and pragmatists, between religion and reason? Will maintaining a majority for the next generation be easier said than done? We search for answers with evangelical and moderate Republicans, economic experts and a former White House staffer under Presidents Reagan and Bush, Sr. Making News: Job Growth Soared in October The Bush administration is taking credit for some good economic news. Jobs increased by 337,000 last month, nearly double what economists had expected. Though optimistic over the long-term, BusinessWeek's Michael Mandel offers a more moderate perspective on today's statistics. Reporter's Notebook: Arctic Meltdown Some 300 scientists from countries around the Arctic have completed the first full-scale assessment of "dramatic" climate change in the Earth-s northernmost latitudes. Does that mean that it-s time to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases? So far, the Bush administration says no. The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment itself has not officially been released, and there-s a lot of jockeying behind the scenes, as the New York Times' Andrew Revkin reports.