Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota Attacks Obama's Leadership In 2008, Republican candidates in blue states and blue Congressional districts distanced themselves from George W. Bush's policies. Now Democratic Party candidates in red states and red Congressional districts are distancing themselves from Barack Obama - on the theory that voters will surge to their side if they act like they're not big fans of the president. That's just politics, and generally it's best to respond with a shrug. But Heidi Heitkamp, a former prosecutor running for Senate in North Dakota, is trying the arms-length tactic with little grace. Ms. Heitkamp disagrees with Mr. Obama over the Keystone XL pipeline proposal. She's also attacking his leadership more broadly. She told the Associated Press this week that Mr. Obama "has failed in the one test America had for him, which was to unite the country." "I think he need to be more hands on," she said. I don't think he's done enough to think broadly and come up with solutions that would engage both sides in a reasonable dialogue. It's frustrating to hear a Democrat repeat this Republican argument, which obscures why there's so little dialogue (or even adult conversation) in Washington. President Obama certainly talked about uniting the country when he ran for president. And he tried to engage Republicans after his inauguration - and then kept trying, and trying, long after it had become glaringly obvious that his efforts were a waste of time. He tried "reasonable dialogue" on health care reform, on the budget deficit, on the Bush-era tax cuts, on military detention and on terrorism trials. He ended up losing more than he gained, because he had no real negotiating partner. The Republicans were too busy filibustering legislation and presidential nominations, passing laws mandating military detention for pretty much any terrorist suspect and holding the nation's credit rating hostage to extending tax cuts for the rich. Ms. Heitkamp has managed to stay competitive so far in North Dakota, and maybe distancing herself from the president is a good tactic. But it would be nice if her comments were at least grounded in reality and made her sound less like a right-wing radio talk show host.