It is of the utmost importance to review our policies and practices, and to make changes where we find unseemly and illegal programs or inefficient and counterproductive policies. The time to act is at hand. The urgent need to restore checks and balances under the rule of law is far more important than the controversies that divide us. Instead, understanding the importance of righting the separation-of-powers imbalance and restoring respect for the rule of law should bring all Americans together. But the core principle -- that the preservation of the Constitution's checks and balances, and respect for the rule of law, is essential to effective governance -- endures regardless of what party controls either branch. If we turn a blind eye to this truth, the nation will feel the consequences far into the future.