During World War II, when America was confronting fascist regimes hell-bent on exporting their murderous ideologies, Republicans united behind Democrats to form a joint front. They did so even though many Republicans — especially from the nativist wing — were upset with President Franklin Roosevelt’s sanctions on Japan, which the small “Blame America First” crowd subsequently used to explain away Japanese aggression.

In recent decades, however, Congress has prioritized short-term political warfare over national security and America’s place in the world. Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and then-Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) both sought to undermine President George W. Bush’s isolation of Syrian President Bashar Assad. At the time, Assad was covertly working on nuclear weapons. Within just a few years, he would openly use chemical weapons against his own people. For Pelosi and Kerry, though, embarrassing Bush was the priority.