To the eyes of a European historian, the United States in 2007 vividly resembles England in 1640 and France in 1787. In 1640s England, King Charles I was trying to raise funds for his wars by manipulating and evading the will of Parliament, a bastion of privilege and special interests. Reinforced by disputes over religion and royal prerogative, the confrontation soon escalated into civil war. The king lost his crown and his head in 1649. In the France of 1787, King Louis XVI was trying to raise funds to meet war-accumulated debt by manipulating and evading the will of the country’s sovereign courts, bastions of privilege and special interests. The confrontation soon escalated into revolution. The king lost his crown in 1792 and his head in 1793.

In early 2007, U.S. President George W. Bush was trying to raise funds for a disastrous war in Iraq by manipulating and evading the will of Congress, a bastion of privilege and special interests. The conflict looked to escalate into a great confrontation. As in 17th-century England and 18th-century France, each side claimed to be defending time-honored rights. President Bush will no doubt relinquish his crown, and save his head, in January 2009. He’s no king and this is no monarchy. But in the meantime we rehearse an ancient drama: Rulers demand funds for military activity from reluctant, powerful institutions that claim to speak for a wronged nation. Under these circumstances, the most a ruler can hope for is grudging consent.