GOP's "Big Tent" Empties

The nomination of John McCain was supposed to be the culmination of the effort to draw more moderates into a broader and more diverse Republican party. I admit that I was swayed by the notion that a McCain candidacy was likely to draw moderates and independents.

Strangely, though, we have seen a parade of moderate Republicans repudiate McCain and throw in their lot with Barack Obama. Colin Powell, William Weld, Kenneth Adelman are notable among them. What can explain this?

Frankly, I was perplexed until I heard Rush Limbaugh discuss the issue. Among other things, Rush read this column by Charles Krauthammer during his show. He also played some clips of Alan Greenspan's testimony before Congress.

Taken together, I now understand that for many people, whether they be politicians, journalists, scholars, or bureaucrats, the allure of the Washington spotlight is too much to resist. It is clear that the desire to curry favor and remain relevant to the inside-the-beltway powers that be, trumps principle, loyalty and personal dignity.

Krauthammer's article eloquently called out those shallow politicos and pundits. The clips of Greenspan were sad and disturbing. In order to preserve his "reputation" with the liberals who appear to be coming into complete control in Washington, he meekly expressed his "shock" at the "failure of the markets". Thus, having pleased the liberal nabobs on the committee by blaming capitalism (rather than pointing out the failure of government, including Congress, or his own errors as Fed Chairman) for the economic crisis, he assured himself a continuing seat at the table.

The future of the GOP and the conservative movement do not and can not include such people. The reality is that the middle of the road is where the line is. If you go there, you get run over. Partisanship is not a dirty word if it means standing up for principle.

The GOP's big tent is coming down; I say good riddance.