Under Bush, the fissures between factions in the Republican Party -- fiscally conservative, socially conservative, moderate -- began appearing in subtle ways early and eventually undermined the right's consensus and destroyed the party.

Obama will enter the White House claiming the mantle of unity. Yet on a practical level, it's impossible to please everyone. Moreover, despite the momentous victory (the country's first African-American president), he still has about 48 percent of the nation opposing his agenda -- some bitterly.

For many conservatives, Obama -- who has displayed a thoughtful curiosity of his opponents' ideological arguments more than most politicians -- is less frightening than the coupling of Obama with the shrill, knee-jerk partisanship of majority leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. They don't believe in unity; they believe in victory.

When Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was asked recently about his party's plans, two of the top issues he offered would destabilize harmony. One is card-check legislation, a Soviet-style measure for unions, and the other is the Fairness Doctrine, which is aimed at shutting down the voice of political conservative opposition.

"The very same people who don't want the Fairness Doctrine want the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) to limit pornography on the air," Schumer said. "I am for that. But you can't say government hands off in one area to a commercial enterprise but you are allowed to intervene in another. That's not consistent."

So you see, conservative opinion is the moral equivalent of pornography. Doesn't sound like unity to me.

Republicans shouldn't be fooled. They should be ready to fight. They clearly weren't this election.