If conservatives want Republicans to fight for conservative principles, then the answer is to give them a real majority to fight with, not their current thin majority on paper that can easily collapse under pressure if a few liberal or timid Republicans lose their nerve.
Voting is not about finding soul mates or venting your frustration when you don't. It's about choosing between alternatives for shaping the future direction of this country.
For a conservative, this election should be a no-brainer. Both Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards have been rated as more liberal than Ted Kennedy. That's not Republican spin. They were ranked that way by the leading liberal organization in the country, Americans for Democratic Action.
The Kerry camp and much of the mainstream media may say that "liberal" is just a label. Really? It doesn't mean higher taxes, softer on crime, racial quotas, a weaker military and judges who impose their own opinions instead of applying the law?
Actually, at one time the word "liberal" did not mean those things. But that time is long past. Today, liberalism means what liberals have done.
What John Kerry has done throughout his long career in the Senate is vote for all the things that liberals support. That record is what got him his high rating from Americans for Democratic Action.
That record is also what Senator Kerry is now trying to camouflage by appearing in hunting clothes and carrying a gun, by telling automobile workers that he drives an SUV, by loudly shouting words like "strength" and "tough" when discussing military policy
Stop and think before saying that "liberal" is just a label -- and stop and think even longer before voting for one.