Yes, open borders is what poll after poll is saying, right?

Oh, and with the economy going in the toilet, I am SURE most Americans will be all for some sort of scheme to raise prices on gas and what-not.

And if torture is so bad, how about the democratic House and Senate passing a law against water-boarding and what-not. Heck, with McCain and other "moderates", they could even override a potential veto. But they won't do that, will they? Why do you think that is?

Like most "issues" there is a big difference between what people and politicians say and what actually happens. These are three of those issues, and most Americans are conservative on them, even if they won't admit it.

If Mr. Joyner is saying that politics trumps principle then count this conservative out too.I'll mourn for my country and hope that after wandering in the wilderness for 8 years the new breed of Conservative Republicans like DeMint, Flake and Kyl will be at the helm and can enunciate principles and beliefs better.

What I'm saying is that hard-core conservatives are like 15 percent of the electorate. Politics is the art of the possible.

None of the men you mention will be president.

McCain needs the support of staunch conservatives to win the election. They’re a critical part of his base. But they’re a damned sight short of a majority. - JJ

It is hard to overstate the animus toward McCain from the rabid right. I expect it will be enough to derail his nomination. Maybe a "Sunday Surprise" before the big primary. Which means it is Romney by default.

No matter. In any mix of the leading candidates, the Republican Party is going to lose the 2008 Presidential election. Even if the Dems nominate Clinton, she is smart enough and ambitious enough to put Obama on the ticket, and retain his passionate supporters. Which means we are on a hellbound train for at least two years of single party Democratic Government with a real possibility of a 60 vote Democratic plurality in th Senate. The only silver lining is that they are unlikely to do as much damage in two years as it took the single party Republican government to do in six.

There is one additional possibility which is also unlikely but possible with Romney leading the Republican ticket. Since the Republican party is already so far behind the 8-ball and unpopular due to the policies of the Bush administration, (70% think the country is going in the wrong direction), and either Romney or McCain as a nominee will experience "tissue rejection" from a significant segment of the GOP itself, we may be looking at the end of the Republican Party as a relevant political force.

A Romney v Clinton contest is likely to bring Bloomberg/Hagel into the race. History shows that there is no path for a 3rd party to succeed in our system. However there are precedents for one of the two major parties self-destructing and being replaced by a new second party. Problem being, you have to blow up one to make room for the new. This may be the year that happens. It would be a fitting legacy for George W Bush. The man who destroyed the Republican Party.

If Mr. Joyner is saying that politics trumps principle then count this conservative out too.I'll mourn for my country and hope that after wandering in the wilderness for 8 years the new breed of Conservative Republicans like DeMint, Flake and Kyl will be at the helm and can enunciate principles and beliefs better.

Late in life, I find myself more Conservative than Republican and GWB made me that way.