No one ever accused Patrick J. Buchanan of lacking conviction or of consulting a focus group before saying what he thinks.

In his new book, "Day of Reckoning," the former presidential candidate, columnist and TV pundit confronts readers with many irrefutable facts that if left unaddressed, he believes, will lead to America's destruction.

That may sound extreme, even apocalyptic, until one considers his assertions: "The Army is breaking and is too small to meet America's global commitments; the dollar has sunk to historic lows and is being abandoned by foreign governments"; and perhaps most controversial of all - "the greatest invasion in history, from the Third World, is swamping the ethno-cultural core of the country, leading to Balkanization and the loss of the Southwest to Mexico."

There's plenty more, but to this last point first. No nation can survive without passing its heritage, language and, yes, faith to the next generation. A country must be built on something substantial and if the cultural elitists think it can be built on "diversity," that is a foundation of shifting sand.

We have moved beyond importing foreigners to mow our yards and build our homes. The political parties are now importing votes, cynically signing up new "Americans" as rapidly as possible before the next election. Let the devil take tomorrow and even the country; help me make it through my election, or re-election.

Consider Montgomery County, Md., a wealthy and heavily Democratic Washington, D.C. suburb. The Washington Examiner reports that large numbers of high-income people are migrating out of the county because of what they regard as a declining quality of life. The net population is growing, but the growth is made up mostly of immigrants who do not make the kind of money (and thus will not pay as much in taxes) as those who are leaving. Foreign-born residents now account for nearly one-third of the county's population.

According to the Examiner, "nearly one in four students in the public school system are now receiving free or reduced-price meals, the largest fraction since 1990."

"At least four Washington-area charities have established Montgomery County offices since 2003, citing a growing need among the area's residents."

County officials say they are increasingly receiving complaints about overcrowded homes, a common story in many counties where there are large numbers of illegal aliens.

As the wealthy residents leave, the strain on the tax base increases and the character of the county will inevitably change. Political correctness constrains school districts from teaching a common language and a common American history. That, too, can quickly decimate a nation.

Now back to Pat Buchanan, who writes that, "the culture is collapsing and the nation is being deconstructed along the lines of race and class a fiscal crisis looms as the unfunded mandates of Social Security and Medicare remain unaddressed and all of these crises are hitting America at once."

One need not agree on all of Buchanan's positions (and I do not, especially on matters pertaining to Iraq and the war against terrorists - he wants to close most of the 1,000 American bases overseas, review all alliances and bring U.S troops home, which is a form of isolationism we cannot afford in an interdependent world), but it is undeniable that many of the issues he raises - and even some of those associated with Iraq - are legitimate and deserving of discussion and debate by the presidential candidates of both parties. The public has not signed off on any of these changes. Rather, they are being imposed on us by the elites. That's what dictators do, not constitutional republics.

Buchanan also writes something that is obvious to most people, but not to the politicians who want the votes of illegals cum citizens. To avoid what he calls "a tangle of squabbling nationalities," Buchanan urges: no amnesty for the 12 to 20 million illegal aliens; a border fence from San Diego to Brownsville; congressional declarations that children born to illegal aliens are not citizens and English is the language of the United States; and a "timeout" on all immigration.

Those who have dismissed Buchanan in the past as a gadfly might consider what he says in his book. The future of what's left of the country could very well rest on it.