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The speakership of Henry Clay marks an important period in the early development of American politics & political institutions. The "leadership survival" explanation of the Clay speakership, first proposed in James Sterling Young's, The Washington Community, 1800-1828, has enjoyed wide currency & more recently has been incorporated in work by scholars associated with the "new institutionalism" in rational choice theory. In this article we revisit Young's account of the Clay speakership, focusing on the period after the War of 1812. Using evidence from committee assignment & roll call records, we show that Speaker Clay's leadership strategy was more complex than Young & the new institutionalist accounts propose, & that it advanced Clay's public policy goals as well as his political ambition. A new survey of historical evidence also shows that Young significantly understated Clay's importance as a leader on matters of national policy. We propose a "strategic majority" explanation, which provides a more complete account of the politics of the Clay speakership & of Clay's influence on national policy during these years. 5 Tables, 1 Appendix. Adapted from the source document.

The trend of public opinion in regard to American involvement in Somalia has undergone changes in response to certain events. Initially, a large majority of Americans supported intervention in Somalia. It was then perceived that the intervention was a quick, low-cost undertaking; the main purpose being to provide aid. That changed on 3 Oct 1993 when 18 American soldiers were killed in a firefight. The public withdrew their support & wanted the military forces to withdraw. This indicates that peacekeeping forces will have American support as long as American soldiers are not losing their lives. Future politicians will have to take this into account when considering intervention. 38 References. R. Larsen