The American Spectator

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(Page 6 of 15)

The 1986 conservative was for spreading democracy abroad; the 2006 conservative doesn't give a rat's patootie about how many innocent victims are slaughtered in Somalia because it's none of our damn business.

The 1986 conservative was for limited government; the 2006 conservative wants massive government expansion in areas such as abortion, protectionism, immigration, and yes, income distribution.

The 1986 conservative welcomed all races, creeds, and religions; the 2006 conservative hangs a sign out that says, "Whites only."

The perfect example of this rather bizarre dichotomy is Patrick Buchanan. In 1986, he was for free trade, democracy abroad, and low taxes. We all know where he stands on these issues in 2006.

p>Unfortunately, Jed Babbin is not far behind. It wouldn't surprise me if Mr. Babbin's next article is entitled "Why We Should All Stop Worrying And Celebrate Osama bin Laden's Cultural Values." br> -- Daniel K. Weir br> Atlanta, Georgia /p>

As usual, Jed Babbin has nailed it. If we had a Ronald Reagan to rally behind, we would see election numbers that would closely mirror Mr. Reagan's. The MSM and the liberal elitists in politics and academia are almost loco because they cannot persuade regular folks in fly over country to let the said liberal elitists run the show for them. We keep insisting that we be given a say in what happens to us. How absurd.

I would suggest that recent history (from 1900 to present) seems to indicate that a governor is a better choice that a Senator or Congressman for the office of POTUS. I am not sure that Romney is that diamond in the rough, but I would at least listen to his pitch. I had thought that Gov./Sen Allen might be that conservative, but he seems to lack some of the instincts needed to keep from verbal faux pas, and then he is too quick to move to the abject apology stage, instead of telling the media to get a life and move on. Truthfully, I don't see a conservative Republican out there with the charisma that Reagan had. What drove the Dems crazy was that Reagan had the knack of going directly to the people and drawing them together into a common vision. Other great thinkers and strategists seem more adept at grating on people nerves. There are some Repub Governors that have done some good work, but they have all the charisma of a bowl of sour milk. Much to the chagrin of several readers here, a Repub candidate with the last name Bush will NOT win anytime soon (the next 12 years or more).

p>I would personally like to see you folks publish a series of articles by Jed Babbin analyzing in some depth possible candidates. I would like it if he would do that for the obvious candidates, but also if he could do some digging for names that do not come rolling off the tongue to contest for POTUS in 2008. Perhaps Jed would know of some within the military community (active or retired) that could make excellent candidates for POTUS and who might be interested in making the run. br> -- Ken Shreve /p>

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