[...] she also has a nagging feeling that Cruz's hard-line views and combative style might keep him from getting anything done in Washington, a city where he's frustrated his own party's congressional leaders as much as — if not more than — the Democrats. Can the uncompromising conservative unite a polarized nation and work with what he's derisively called Washington's "cartel" of career politicians, lobbyists and special interests? [...] the president's term has been marred by near-constant confrontation with Republicans on both domestic and foreign policy, a government shutdown and numerous other fights that put the nation at the brink of default or interruptions in federal services. The party's last two nominees — former Massachusetts Gov.