Free Republic

We are living in a world rapidly evolving away from the mental constructs and language of the last 375 years. These ideas can be traced to the Treaty of Westphalia ending the 30 Years War in 1648 and Grotius proposal of a system of International Law in the same era. The ideas were then extended through the development of state warfare culminating in the Napoleonic Wars.

Why, you may ask, is the meteoric rise of Newt Gingrich giving so many in the Republican establishment a bit of holiday-season indigestion? Look no further than party leaders' worries about the shaky Gingrich relationship with a category of Americans who may matter more than any other in the 2012 election: independent voters.

The GOP’s Death Wish By Kathleen Parker December 9 “Anybody but Mitt” has become a familiar mantra throughout the Republican primary campaign. It is also weird and self-defeating. Republicans apparently want to nominate anyone except the one person who can defeat Barack Obama. And for all the strangest reasons: One: He’s changed his mind. True. He changed his mind, thus becoming more conservative. Two: He’s too perfect. Three: You can’t drink beer with him. Whatever. The result of these petty obsessions has been a pathological flirtation with a parade of lesser candidates who could replace Romney. This parade has persisted...