Here’s a suggestion for the Republican Party presidential front-runners as they travel the pre-primary highway. Look through the windshield, not the rear view mirror. Whatever chance the GOP has to hold on to the presidency in 2008 will not be improved by its best candidates nuancing values and kissing up to social conservatives. And when it comes to delegate-endowed Florida, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney need to reference the Charlie Crist strategy — tacking toward the center — not reread the Book of Bush.
And if the (Rev.) Jerry Falwells and James (Focus on the Family) Dobsons feel marginalized, so be it. The Party of Pelosi is still no viable alternative for their fundamentalist acolytes.