The American Spectator

br> Re: Stephen Zierak’s letter (under “Rationalizing”) in Reader Mail’s No Way to Live : /p>

Every election cycle brings out the political calculators from the conservative and libertarian watering holes. The reasoning may change but the conclusion is always the same: we will win by losing.

Mr. Zierak believes McCain is such a turkey that his presidency is doomed to be unsuccessful — made all the worse by dirtying the Republican “brand name” and ruining the chances for any true conservative/libertarian powerhouse in future races.

As for Obama, apparently his turkey-ness will be revealed once in office by the mighty hand of the Republican opposition. Such an epiphany for the American public could result in less bad policy and dooming the chances for a second term for Obama. (What? No money on that bet?) Evidently Mr. Zierak also has paid a visit to the witch of Endor to call forth the ghost of Herbert Hoover to illustrate a profound lesson: our country will survive a bad presidency but the Republican Party won’t.

As to this last reckoning, unlike the Democrats, it has been a principle among conservatives and even most Republicans that country comes before party. It is unethical to maneuver to produce (even if only by inaction) misfortunes for one’s countrymen in order to reap political advantage. We already have one party that does that

But let’s consider two more recent historical examples. When Clinton assumed the presidency, the Republican opposition grew to control of both houses of Congress. While it is true that Clinton had to eat some bitter herbs in Republican legislation he also didn’t take it laying down famously reminding all with ears he was still the President of the United States. In the end Clinton outwitted the Republicans to achieve many of his own ends in spite of the fact that he had a scandal around his neck. Moreover, Clinton still managed to inflict damage on the country — most of which would not be made manifest until later. And to confound all rational expectations, many if not most Americans look back on the eight Clinton years as some sort of golden age.

Even more recently, we have the elections of 2006. Again, our political calculators were so angry with the Republican congress that they decided it was time to lose so that the bad apples would get thrown out and the blockheads in the Republican leadership would learn their lesson. They got their wish: losing anyhow. What we got was a number of the good guys losing simply because they were Republicans while the idiots kept their seats. The very blockheads in the Party we wanted to send a message to instead spun defeat into their vindication over the “ideologues.” Meanwhile, instead of sending a message to Congress, a Democrat Congress has been sending a message back to us — promising that there’s much more where that came from once Obama changes the drapes in the White House.

p>Nope, Mr. Zierak, methinks you be too clever by half. br> — Mike Dooley /p>

Hmmm. Steve Zierak and I don’t see the same outcome from a McCain presidency in the long term. I don’t see McCain as becoming a “failed” presidency as much as a pivotal point in American politics where the left and right are openly defined for all to see and decide where at last we want to go as a people. I think Steve and I agree basically on where we would like to see America in the near future but differ in how to get there. Can we agree that such a Republican/McCain victory this November, which is already showing promise of large coat tails in the state and congressional races would at least have the salutary effect of on the job training for a President Palin in 2016 and one can dare to hope in 2012?