So who's not gracious?
Conservatives have graciously put up with GHWB, Bob Dole, and now W...who selected a pastiche of key conservative positions for purely political calculus...without being conservative himself. This is now so obvious for Pete's sake. And it fully explains the glaring incongruities and contradictions and logic-failures that have finally come home to roost electorally...try as he might to deny that the '06 election was a referendum on him.
As for the 11th Commandment, "Thou shalt not speak ill of thy fellow Republican,"... I prefer to cite subsection (a): "That is, unless that Republican doesn't actually believe in the stated principles of the Republican Party."
Did you ever notice that the people who so often cite that, as if it's a blanket prohibition against challenging other Republicans when necessary, often are also the very same people that gave Ronald Reagan so much grief during his terms as Governor of CA, and as President?
The irony is not lost on me.
"Conservatives have graciously put up with GHWB, Bob Dole, and now W"
As have I...My point is there are some people here who said that they will not put up with the Republican nominee if he's not as conservative as they like. I like Reagan's comments in his book about batting average. Everyone forgets that Newt Gingrich's much reviled Contract with America had a .700 batting average when Bill Clinton was president.
BTW the threat of Islamic terrorism was the # 1 issue on my mind when I voted for Dole in 1996 and Bush in 2000.