decline and fall

andrew was right that the republicans are going to repeat the mistake of the tories in britain, who after a shellacking in 1997, decided that the problem was simply that they hadn't been conservative enough---today:

Reporting from Washington -- The social conservatives and moderates who together boosted the Republican Party to dominance have begun a tense battle over the future of the GOP, with social conservatives already moving to seize control of the party's machinery and some vowing to limit John McCain's influence, even if he wins the presidency.