WHAT a mess! Even veteran Washington observers say they do not recall so much political turmoil engulfing the capital city and its institutions since the Watergate scandal of the 1970s that brought down US president Richard Nixon.

Indeed, the stunning announcement by House of Representatives Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy last Thursday that he would be dropping out of the race for the Speaker has sent shock waves through Washington, from Capitol Hill to the White House and beyond.

At a time when the stakes for US interests at home and abroad remain so high, ranging from the need to forge a budget deal as soon as possible to the growing challenges to American security around the world, there is a growing sense in Washington that no one can or is willing to take charge of the nation's business.