This is a tough one. Don’t have doubts about Lt. Gov. Steele’s conservatism but he’s dull as corn flakes. Speaker Gingrich has the ideas but his flirtations with Hillary and Dirty Nan should bother rock ribbed conservatives.
I'm a rock-ribbed conservative, and I think Newt would be an excellent choice. I understand what you're saying, though. I don't know anything about Steele, but Newt's strength is is ability to strategize. I don't think he'd be a good candidate, but he's excellent at figuring out what to do.
I always find myself in a quandary when talking about the ideological tests. Reagan couldn't have passed a lot of the tests we put on candidates today, but it seems like we swing from screaming "IMPURE! IMPURE!" to a candidate like McCain who only crosses conservatism occasionally, and then by accident.
Good point. Actually he isn’t as conservative as Newt, so that is a very important point... Steele is a moderate Republican, at least he was when he was running for office in Maryland.