Political realities shift like the sands of a large desert.
You ignore the realities at your peril, and creating the realities that fit your opinions is not and never has been successful, possible or advantageous in the long run.
Politics is local and fickle, especially in North America where conspiracy theorists abound, and public opinions ride the winds of the media.
Political ignorance and shallow conceit appear to rule todays political landscape. We are fast becoming the crude, ignorant dullards that the Europeans have long held as the truth about American politics, and I am coming swiftly to the same conclusions, after such nonsense as the Dubai port upheavals, the Shiavo incident where Conservative forces ignored some of our most closely held Constitutional principles in favor of emotional rhetoric.
I find all of this to be the senseless result of Conservatives who have run amok, and have bitten off far more than they can chew.
The sad thing is that it has all occurred before in a variety of ways, as the party searches for it's core and tries to win elections at the same time.
To get back to basics is essential, and the very definition of politics tells us that it is the "art of compromise". Those who cannot or will not do so, are not working in the best interest of the party and therefore should remain the side show, and a steering current that helps to guide the direction.
Unfortunately, they cannot be trusted to lead, and that is how I view this. When placed in a leadership role, these single issue or myopic politicians will and have damaged the party and public perception to get what they want, and are selfish, self worshiping, pompous and instant gratification ninny's who can't see the damages that they have caused to the future prospects of the party as a whole.
I am a conservative in every way that has meaning, but I am not a fool. We either hang together of hang separately, and the odds now favor the separate hangings as unity fall apart like a cheap suit.
This is why candidates for the '08 presidency will vie for the center that you despise so openly, and the base will disintegrate and be rebuilt for 2012. The average American "Joe blow" voter has seen enough of what the Republican party has to offer and will most assuredly return to a split power sharing gridlock that seemed to work much better than the current situation.
I did not cause this...I'll not take any of the responsibility for this debacle. The blame for which lies squarely on the shoulders of the Conservative right and the various interest groups that comprise it. A Conservative right that I will no longer be associated with because it is far too flawed to win elections in the future and without power, we cannot change or guide the country. We had it, but we will not have it for much longer because we failed to gain the trust of the American people.
Reagan was correct when he faced similar circumstances within the party and managed to guide them out of the abyss by saying thing like, "Thou shall not say negative things about fellow Republicans".(paraphrased as I recall it)
It's a damn shame that many conservatives have apparently ignored this advice at their peril............But they did.....and continue to do so.