The author wishes Cheney had run so that “when he went down to a landslide loss, the conservative movement might – might! – have been jolted into the kind of rethinking that’s necessary if it hopes to regain power.”
Actually, not only conservatives but the whole country are getting their "jolt" right now. The Messiah is going to jolt everyone into realizing just how dangerous government by liberals is to the country's security, prosperity and freedom. The answer won't be liberal lite or country club Republicanism, it will be Reaganism.