Well, I am shocked to find myself agreeing with Andrew Sullivan, but it doesn't take much to see just how completely adrift the Republican establishment is. It is clear that they plan to use the exact same strategy in 2008 that won them a series of resounding defeats in 2006.

It's war, war, war, all the time with the party leadership. Now, the obviously pro-abortion and pro-big government Giuliani is supposed to be the front runner? So, they want a Republican who, like Bush, is pro-welfare state (e.g. Medicare prescription benefits), who, like Bush, is gung ho on the war, and who, like Bush likes to talk tough in a flippant and belligerent manner. So basically, they are hell-bent on replacing an extremely unpopular pro-war president with his virtual clone, all at a time that 2/3 of American oppose the war.

That's apparently their strategy. And they think Ron Paul is the crackpot? He's obviously the only Republican candidate who could possibly win. Even Hillary polls better than the "leading" Republicans.

There are some delusional conservatives who think that making illegal aliens an issue wil sweep them into power, or that the Republicans will turn out over the Supreme-Court-appointment issue. Unlikely. Local condidates tried to make illegal aliens an issue across the nation in 2006, and most were soundly defeated. Nobody cares except in tiny enclaves in California and Arizona, and certainly NOT in Colorado where they thought the anti-immigrant movement would rise a like phoenix from its repeated oblivion and sweep the Republicans into power. The opposite happened.

So, all they're left with is an unpopular war, and the so-called front runners are falling all over themselves to support the war. As a political scientist, I must say that it's interesting to see a political party implode.