The American Spectator

br> the list goes on. /p> p>While I will admit that many of these things will probably occur under a Democratic administration, at least Republicans would then not be blamed for it. John McCain is a disgrace and should not even be in public office, he is unstable and prone to emotional outburst and is the last man in the world whose finger you would want on the nuclear trigger. I also predict that if McCain is ever elected president, which is highly unlikely, he will start a war with Iran. br> — Paul Martell /p>

I am a lifelong Republican and conservative. My father was a Goldwater Republican in ‘64 when most of the nation was voting for LBJ. I cut my teeth on GOP politics while a college student in Texas working for Ronald Reagan to defeat America’s worst President Jimmy Carter and went on to serve the party as a foot soldier, precinct chairman and member of 2 Texas County Executive committees (Bowie and Travis). I like the Club for Growth, CPAC and listened to Rush Limbaugh from 1988 till 2006. But I’m totally fed up with the juvenile behavior of “conservative elites” who have joined liberals in undermining the conservative administration of President Bush (his record not his rhetoric is to the right of Reagan) and Republicans in Congress. Those who prattled we could “throw away an election” in 2006 and berated Republicans not only handed Congress to the radical Democrats, but opened the door to John McCain and “purple dog” Mike Huckabee (a man whose lack of moral and ethical integrity makes him unfit for any elected office on the Republican ticket).

Had so-called conservative talking heads not decided to prove their “independence” by undermining President Bush and the GOP Congress (falling for Chuck Schumer’s bait) not only would Republicans still control Congress, but the Republican standard bearer in 2008 would be someone like George Allen or some other bona fide conservative (it is notable that those John McCain campaigned for like George Allen generally lost in 2006). The melt down of the conservative movement that has produced the current political landscape is the gift of Sean Hannity, Laura Ingram, Anne Coulter, William F. Buckley and even Rush Limbaugh (just to name a few). Their hysterical overreaction to DPW, Harriet Miers, comprehensive immigration reform and GOP spending created a landscape of Republican desperation that has made it possible for John McCain and even liberal RINO Mike Huckabee to succeed. Rush Limbaugh predicted this, but seems to have forgotten his prediction, because he is now part of the problem.

p>The alternative media is still a tool for good, but instead of continuing the mythologizing of Reagan, undercutting George W. Bush and Republicans they need to be focusing their ire on the real threat — Democrats. If John McCain is the Republican nominee (it is not a done deal) then by all means they can keep their support to themselves, but rather than empowering Democrats as they did in 2006 (despite last minute Hail Mary’s on behalf of Republicans) they need to begin working now to defeat them. br> — Michael Tomlinson br> Jacksonville, North Carolina /p>

Mr. Klein reflects the liberal media line that McCain’s win in Florida shows that conservatives are losing their influence in the Republican Party. Instead of referring to conservatives as being opposed to McCain, he narrows it down to “elite conservatives” or “constituencies” within conservatism.

For Klein, it’s merely a matter of ruffling feathers, not substantive, core issues. It’s really all about brave moderate Republicans surviving the “wrath of conservatives.”