The American Spectator

James Sherlock br> Waldwick, New Jersey /p> p> Why are Conservatives in such disarray? Part of the answer may be that they have been lulled into a malaise by the great wealth and power that the U.S. has accumulated. That we have fought a major war without any strain on the budget, reducing the deficit in fact, and have not been asked to sacrifice because our military volunteers and families did that for us, may have turned the attention of Conservatives toward lesser things. Consider that Congress is currently spending its workdays investigating baseball and that Republican Senator Specter thinks it time to investigate NFL football, foibles of a do-nothing Congress. Add to this the constant din of Liberals asking for more of the goodies to go to them rather than the war. Minds have turned away from the great problems the country faces into a sort of food fight and recitations of petty grievances. Conservatives have been ignoring the future, criticizing present events, and dreaming about the past. The past success that Conservatives have had were based on a commitment to the future. Facing the prospects of possible world wide war and a growing Socialist movement should be enough to revive Conservatives energies toward the future again. br> — Howard Lohmuller br> Seabrook,Texas /p>

I hear Republicans making the case for party loyalty. Where does that leave independent conservatives? If I had loyalty, I would be voting for the party I registered with three decades ago; thank you, but no.

I vote for the candidate and the issues. I have been voting Republican of late and I am going to vote for a senate candidate. However if McCain gets the nomination, my choices will be to write in Fred, skip that race or vote wacky third party.

p>McCain or any Democrat will be bad news for this country. McCain will also be bad news for the conservative movement. Some good friends mention judges but, seeing McCain parse words and assign highly personal interpretation to them, I see not reason to trust him. This campaign has left me doubting his honesty. br> — Laurence /p>

I fear that Americans will be faced with choosing between two “Battered Syndrome” candidates come election time: a former president’s wife, battered by the infidelities of a marriage, out for the redemptive powers of self worth; a Senator, secretly ashamed of POW status and batterings by captors in Hanoi, looking for a life do-over.