Isn't one of the tenets of conservatism that there's already plenty of wisdom out there without having to find a new idea whose primary virtue is merely that it is new? The advantage of picking deceased conservatives is that there is no time wasted in rebutting or responding to President Obama's boilerplate rhetoric. Just read the writings of the above conservatives with an open mind and bounce their ideas off your plans.

As for Newt... It seems strange to me that the only time Newt has any influence is when Democrats are in office. If and when Republicans are in charge once again, I suspect we'll go back to "Newt who?"

Eric Cantor lost me when he blamed Nancy Pelosi for his vote on the stimulus bill. Vote no because it's a bad bill. Vote no because that's what you believe. But don't vote no because Nancy Pelosi said some mean things you didn't like.

If there's one conservative I'd like Obama to listen to, it would have to be Andrew Bacevich.

I think Lugar counts as a conservative in the pre-neoconservative foreign policy mold. Similarly, while McCain breaks from orthodoxy when it suits him, he's still been reliably conservative.

But the Mainers are ridiculously un-conservative, Brooks is ridiculously un-serious, and I have no idea about Goldsmith.

Do they honestly count as two people?

I thought they shared the same brain..

5 1/2 'conservatives' that Obama listens to at best..