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John,

I agree that Huckabee is not THE conservative choice. What I took issue with was the idea that if Huckabee were to leave, his supporters would go to McCain primarily because of the Mormon issue.

Somehow, Romney has gained a strange reputation as the upholder of Reagan conservatism versus the coalition benders McCain and Huckabee. That idea makes little sense to me. He just strikes me as the guy who says what he thinks will win. One thing in Mass. and something else when running in a GOP primary.

It's a fine political attribute, I suppose, but it's not enough to make those of us yearning for a real conservative fall out into fainting spells. So he's the one guy left who will try to tell us what he thinks we want to hear. That and five dollars buys you a double latte', right?

It has never been the Mormon thing that bothered me. I've always viewed him as a one term governor who used to try to distance himself from Ronald Reagan and told stories about family friends in trouble to justify his pro-choice position. He just doesn't fit that heir to Reagan role in which our radio talk show hosts are trying to cast him

What I think is really going on is that McCain haters got desperate and Mitt has benefitted from their hostility. Not enough to win, but enough to sell him hard to conservatives with the hope that they'll buy now.

topics:
Conservatism