James, Phil started this discussion by positing that the press is dwelling on Huckabee to a greater extent than warranted so my point was to address that in the context of the principal fascination of the media: the horserace. (He is a factor so the press attention is deserved, I argued.) But your point is different and equally interesting, which is the degree to which compromises are asked and offered. Every candidate requires them. Goodness knows small government conservatives voted for the compassionate conservative Bush and anti-comprehensive immigration reform GOP-ers did too. The choices in a primary are different of course than in a general election, but it is not just social conservatives that sometimes have to swallow hard.
