Bush turned his back on the GOP base. We are a republic still. Power is inherent in the people, and is delegated to leaders, not the other way around. We owe no politician anything.
Sorry, Thane, but to be a "base" implies that a group actually has the power to sway elections. That is clearly not the case with conservatives.
We conservatives have f**ked up badly -- we've become arrogant, lazy, and dogmatic. We eat our own with "how many angels" minutia. We sound ugly and often act ugly. We haven't the slightest clue how to practice politics in the current political environment.
If anything, we're to blame for not being able to put forth a message worth listening to.