We all know that sinking feeling. You're at a wedding or a party, and one of your best friends has got drunk. You love the guy, but he's making a total idiot of himself, and you wish to heaven he'd just shut up...
Republican sympathisers on this side of the Atlantic have been put in that position watching the GOP primary race. It appears the American right have lost their perspective, the "compassionate" from their Conservatism, and frankly their marbles. First, they asked America's Republican voters to believe that Mitt Romney was a conservative, despite the fact of his long liberal record on abortion, tax cuts, and being "an independent during Reagan/Bush". They insisted, despite the evidence, that Mitt was a changed man, even as he won Michigan by promising auto workers he'd get their jobs back, market forces be damned, and called seniors in another state to complain McCain had not backed a Medicare tax hike.
After backing a candidate who was obviously saying whatever it took to get elected, depending on his audience, they then abandoned any vestige of pragmatism - poll after poll showing McCain beating either democrat, but Romney losing to both by double digits, did not faze them.
And then (it pains me to say it) they pretty much abandoned their honour. We were treated to the unlovely sight of Catholic bloggers excoriating John McCain because he opposes torture, even though, in our faith, torture is an absolute wrong which no circumstance can justify. We were treated to leading right wing sites saying they would vote for ultra-liberals over the solid Republican McCain. We watched Rush Limbaugh, even Sean Hannity and Laura Ingrham, right wing talk stars from the exreme to the sensible, heap contempt on the likely nominee.
And the Corner, the grandaddy blog on which CR is based, was one of the worst offenders. One of its bloggers, John Derbyshire, started criticising McCain's war record, accusing him (I am not joking) of inefficiency.
Bush has disappointed most of us Conservatives, but there are two things forever in his favour: Roberts and Alito. The power of the right-wing blogs and talking heads has taken a big hit; Republican primary voters have rejected their nay-saying and crowned John McCain, the only guy likely to beat Hillbama. If the right-wingers are principled, they will think long and hard about either Democrat filling the Supreme Court with refugees from the Ninth Circuit, and they will get behind the war hero the GOP has selected despite their input.
As my American husband says to our three year old, "Smarten up, OK?"
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