I agree that too many of the Republican leaders like Sen McMedia (McCain) spent so much time as a minority they simply do NOT know how to act as the majority. However, HERE is the real problem for the Conservative Movement.
Right now we have a war going on between the Doctrine Conservatives and the Practical Conservatives. Some where there has to be a happy medium. Right now the Doctrine Conservatives are demanding political purity tests. Sorry we can be a 100% pure movement but we will be only marginally relevant to the National politics. I side with the Practical on most things but see some serious flaws in their views. For example, Enforcing board security is an AUTOMATIC. Politically impossible to argue against, addresses the concern of one of the Conservative Base factions. Slam Dunk Republican issue. Enforce the law. Make it a National Security issue. Cannot understand why it so hard to see in DC. The Practicals want this issue to just go away because they fear the PR spin the Libs will use to attack them. That is a huge mistake.
The problem for the Doctrine Conservatives (Which covers most all our Pundits and Talk Show Hosts) is they have ZERO real world political experience. They are our version of the Ivory Tower Intellectuals. It's easy to sit in front of a mike or a word processor and spin intellectual sound theories and day dreams. It is a MUCH hard thing to make those theories work in the real world. The Doctrinaires demand the right to dictate to the rest what we can and cannot do. They have their own set of litmus tests and any times even ONE is impended upon they go into screaming "You betrayed us" rant mode.
So here is where being a Conservative Leader get to be a lot like cat herding. You have to keep the two factions going in the same direction despite the natural antipathy between the two world views (Theory vrs Practice). The way it has worked so far is the Dems have been such a dominate, threatening counterforce the two factions have had greater antipathy for the Left side. With the Left looking defeated, the two factions are discovering just how much antipathy they have for each other.
Bush is strongly a Practical. He's even said it. He is a "Results oriented type of guy". That has never sat well with the Doctrinaire Conservative punditry. So they have never been real strong in his corner. They have always been a bunch of But Monkeys "I like Pres Bush BUT" seem to be their most common line. Given the excuse they have been just itching for a chance to go back to their bomb throwing glory days as the "Republican Insurgency". By running so hard on the practical and NOT giving, at least SOME attention to the demands of the Doctrinaires, the fundamental split has become a wound has festered until it burst over Miers.
However, as painful as it is, it is not fatal to the Conservative movement. I think the reaction to Miers, the "rebellion" actions of Congressman Mike Pence and Sen Tom Corburn on spending. Rep Tancreado on Illegal Immigration have woke up the Practicals to the growing unrest in the Doctrinal. Things like the Refinary Bill and the ANWAR drilling and the growing talk about Border ENFORCEMENT as a primary, not secondary, issues indicate to me the Practicals are waking up to just how deeply angry the Doctrinaires are.
The other thing that helps is the Delay/Plame/"Culture of Corrupt" smear campaign plus Able Danger is reminding ALL Conservatives just why you can NEVER trust a Liberal with power. What remains to be decided is just how angry the Doctrinaires are. In 1992 they split off and followed the pied piper Perot. I THINK they learned their lesson from 8 years of Clintonitest, I don't KNOW they have. Going to be interesting to see how 2006 shakes out.
Based on what you said, I'm definitely a Practical conservative, minus the flaws that many Practical conservatives exhibit. Great post you put together! 8) I enjoyed reading that.