The American Spectator

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Santorum Comeback

2.1.08 @ 12:01AM

(Page 2 of 4)

While Mr. Hillyer's suggestion that conservatives run as favorite sons in their home states is intriguing and good old fashioned politics I'm afraid it will be a no go despite deep reservations conservatives in Congress might have about John McCain. Having been pilloried for 3 years by self-described conservative "elites" and much of the conservative base Congressional Republicans will be hesitant to throw themselves on the favorite son grenade for such a fickle group. For that matter why would they risk handing the Presidency to Democrats for those that did the Democrat's dirty work for them in 2006 and kicked the momentum out of the GOP. Those in our ranks who have worked to undermine President Bush's conservative administration (he has governed to the right of Reagan on taxes, pro-life issues, fighting terrorism, Supreme Court justices, Social Security reform, spending, deficits, party building and is even to the right of the Gipper on the issue of illegal aliens) made the McCain and even the "purple dog's" campaign inevitable.

Conservatives because of the self-inflicted crackup of 2005 (it never was a crack down Rush) find themselves going into a Presidential election with a moderate at the helm of what is still the conservative party in the US. Instead of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in November conservatives in Congress should make it clear to McCain if elected he will not get a free ride for his extremist views on the environment, guns, taxes and immigration. They should also make it clear that if he strays from George W Bush's example of nominating only Constitutionalists to the Supreme Court they will filibuster his nominations. On taxes voting against a tax increase after 8 years of George W Bush should be party dogma. Mitch McConnell and John Boehner have shown through their leadership skills how a minority can frustrate even a radical and determined majority. The same could be true for a maverick or out of control McCain Presidency.

A McCain Presidency will probably be a four-year caretaker Presidency much like Bill Clinton's do nothing administration. If he can continue to prosecute the war against Islamic imperialism, end earmarks and basically enjoying being President without screwing everything up this will be an opportunity for conservative Turks to begin looking at 2012. Of course, the future success of the conservative movement hinges on conservatives, who have done so much damage to the movement, embrace the pragmatic Ronald Reagan and lay aside the myths they've created to promote their own agendas. Maybe that's too much to ask, but unless it is done the conservative movement will be in a self-inflicted political coma of irrelevance for some time to come.
-- Michael Tomlinson
Jacksonville, North Carolina

Quin's excellent article points out the major problem with this primary season: Lack of good candidates. We relied on self-appointed candidates instead of insisting that we be given more choices -- Jeff Sessions, Jim DeMint, Peter Pace, and a host of other great Republican conservative Senators and Governors. Next time let's make sure they run and draft them.

The best we can hope for now is to insist that John McCain give up his Senate seat to concentrate on the presidential race. At least we'll get him out of the Senate. Even Bob Dole did that.
-- C. Baker
Ft.Worth, Texas

I love Quin's idea. It's a great article.

It would be great to have George Allen or Fred Thompson!
-- Jim Sayer

FAVORITE SON?
Son of a Gun. What fun!
Nominate a Favorite son!

Add some zest to the contest.
How wonderful! How Hillyeresque!
-- Mimi Evans Winship

THE SECOND BLACK INSULT
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.'s He Let Me Down:

R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. writes of Bill Clinton that "I do not credit him with many virtues, but the one virtue I thought he had was racial tolerance."

This is naive. Clinton is a man without values. Everything he did and now does is for the acquisition of power. If Bill Clinton he came of political age in the 1950's or earlier, he'd be out burning crosses or worse for votes. If not, why did Clinton have segregationist Sen. J. William Fulbright as his mentor?
-- Peter Skurkiss
Stow, Ohio

Now now Mr. Tyrrell, having had the insight to correctly categorize Bill Clinton as a sociopath, why are you now surprised that he has finally shown his true colors as a rancid raving racist bigot? Aren't all sociopaths completely devoid of any scruples whatsoever?

Your putative surprise at Clinton's recent antics surprises me. I would have thought that an eminence of your caliber would have known that eventually Clinton wouldn't be able to restrain his baser instincts and you would be lurking in the weeds, biding your time waiting to pounce. Instead, I get this sober sided assessment of Clinton and Carter that is quite accurate but lacks the usual biting wit and sarcasm of your polemics. Is it that the Clintons and Carter are so reprehensible that words fail to express your disdain adequately -- if so I can hardly blame you as they fail me also?

By the way, in the future please don't equate these two mendacious poltroons with us good old boy rednecks. We rednecks who have earned our place in the sun by the fruits of our honest labor take umbrage at the very thought that these two are even remotely associated with us. Do not assume that by accident of their southern birth they are one of us -- they both lack the basic strength of character (and many other fundamental attributes) required to be defined as southerners let alone rednecks.

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Taxes, Transportation, John McCain, John Boehner, Bill Clinton, Earmarks, Social Security, Islam, Environment, Constitution, Law, Supreme Court, Military, NATO, Conservatism, Neoconservatism, Immigration, Oil