Well now, Republicans say, we have a nominee.  That may very well be but there was only one clear winner in the confusing GOP nominating contest and it was not John McCain.  The winner was Ron Paul.  And the effects of his win will be felt for years to come.

Ron Paul made a classic political mistake.  He told the truth.  In debate after debate he pointed at his party, his president, his fellow contenders for the GOP nomination, shouting aloud like the little boy in the proverbial story, "they have no clothes" and lo and behold, we looked and they didn't.  They were all naked.

He showed that the conservative movement has lost its way, its moral authority and its logic.  He showed us that we have become a red team versus blue team.  That since we have decided that this is a political war and all normal rules are suspended, conservatives can do liberal things to win it.  Conservatives can run up big deficits if it helps their side win.  They can dole out needless pork if it elects another "conservative" to congress.  They can go to war if it makes their president look like a leader and wins him another term.

But in the process, Ron Paul showed us, that we have lost our way.  We are no longer conservatives.  We are fighting for power not for principles.  We have become corrupted by the process and the only way back is to retrace our steps and find all the things we discarded along he way.



Good analysis on an election year [LINK]