Interesting, I describe myself as a foaming at the mouth, flopping on the floor conservative with pesky libertarian tendencies.
I recognize Beck to be a libertarian but I do not understand why he has a reflexive need to equate the truly egregious anti- libertarian policies of the Democrat party with the relatively venal declensions of the Republicans. It strikes me as relativism in reverse which leads to a feeling of secret and smug wisdom for damning both houses.
Anticipating the electoral disaster we were facing last November, I began a series of posts trying to feel a way toward reconciliation between social conservatives and libertarian conservatives or fiscal conservatives.
The problem with the Iraq was that it introduced a third splintering tendency, the neocons. I know libertarians who have walked away from the Republican Party because of the neocons. Now we see the neocons, like Frum, walking away from the social conservatives.
It would take another Ronald Reagan or, as fate would have it, a Barack Obama to restore the party's unity.
I loved Reagan. I loved him for principal but mostly for his Machiavellian tendency to do whatever means necessary when it came to protection of this nation I love. I believe Iran/Contra to be a perfect example...I mean we sold weaponry to Saddam Hussein's republican guard to kill Ayatollah Khomeini's extremists in a war that eliminated thousands of little Islamists and we took the profits from the arms sales to give to freedom fighters waging a war with Ortega's communists in Nicaragua...HELLO! (There was something wrong with that?)
Reagan's SDI determination is now being proven effective as well as his modernization of the armed forces, particularly the Navy. Just google the Aegis weapons systems cruiser/destroyer success in knocking down ballistic missiles...and remember the satellite that was killed a year ago last February? This would not have been done under a GHW Bush, Clinton, G. Bush or an Obama regime.
There is perhaps another Reagan out there but, at present, I don't see him/her. My hopes was McCain to have a catharsis in 2009 as president (I never doubted his military determination only his willingness to abandoned Reaganism for bipartisan accord on taking away some of our liberties) but it was not to be. I don't think its going to be Palin and, so, God Forbid, the Romulan looks like a front runner.
I'm praying now for David Petraeus to test the waters although I know little about him..