The American Spectator

(And Lyn Nofziger has further observed that Reagan often outlined shortcomings of Leftier Republicans, on principled grounds, and that Reagan also took allies wherever he could find them on any issue — at times joking that he’d worry about anybody who agreed with him 100% of the time.)

Another recent title from Hugh Hewitt was “The Embarrassed Believer.” That book dealt with Christians shy of being open about their religious faith. I humbly suggest that Hewitt at least ponder writing an article, “The Embarrassed Conservative,” as he seems to be much more comfortable with caving in to the pressures of Leftist cultural elites and supporting Left-leaning Republicans, than in standing firm in defending conservatives from calumnies, slanders and slurs. The upshot of a Hewitt stance is to move the Republican Party ever-more and ever-quicker Leftward, behind the quick Left march of the Democrats. But who will honestly represent the conservatives then, when only a far Left and a soft Left party are ascendant in U.S. political circles?

p>I should close by disclosing my own political allegiances. I’m a former conservative Democrat, who finally paid heed to Ronald Reagan’s statement that he hadn’t left the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party had left him. (I was like Zell Miller before Zell was so cool.) Yes, not long ago I was a registered Democrat and now I’m disgusted with the trends (which Hewitt commends) in the Republican Party. In the Pennsylvania Senate primary Hewitt describes, conservative Pat Toomey was the vastly superior choice over incumbent Leftist Republican Arlen Specter (whom Hewitt commends). Hewitt argues that Toomey ought not to have been supported, in favor of Specter. It would be laughable if it weren’t so hypocritical, that junior Pennsylvania Republican (and usually a conservative stalwart) Sen. Rick Santorum scored Toomey as “too conservative to win” for holding positions indistinguishable from Santorum’s own. Sometimes party loyalty asks too much. Arlen Specter, standing next in line to head the Senate Judiciary Committee, is likely to be the single impediment necessary to prohibit conservative constitutionalist judges, should Bush win a second term with a modest Republican Senate gain. Think about that for a long while — particularly if restoring a traditional understanding of the Constitution is important to you. br> — B.J. Coleman br> /p>