It is not exactly a secret that the Bush administration has not had a sterling record on domestic policy as far as adhering to principles of smaller government, spending restraint, decentralization, and other issues dear to traditional Republicans.

While he got points for foreign policy and tax policy, he dropped the ball on a number of issues, like education, farm supports, trade restrictions, and ramping down our massive entitlement debt load.

Many conservatives have harped on this. Andrew Sullivan makes it a central issue in many articles. Many talk radio hosts have also come down hard on Bush in this area, chief among them Rush Limbaugh.

A few days ago, Rush read an editorial that, basically, seems to show the national Republican Party throwing in the towel and moving away from Reagan and Goldwater and towards Democrat Me-Too. The editorial can be found here. A further comment from the paper on the subject can be found here. I hadn't heard Rush this depressed in a long time, and I can't say I blame him.

If the Republican Party has decided the way to go is to out-Democrat the Democrats, it will be suicide. Liberals, who see Bush as the devil incarnate, will not vote for him just because he joins the Democrats in throwing money to the people out the limousine windows. Democratic policitians will not stand up and say, "Wow. How he has grown in office. He deserves our support." No, they will cut him off at the knees for abandoning his principles.

Anyone remember "read my lips?" When election time rolled around, did the Democrats say, "well, look at how George Bush was willing to do the right thing by the economy?" No, they jeered at him endlessly for reversing himself, and hung him high by his own statement.

The Democrats are not going to change their minds. And the real Republican voter will have been left in the dirt.

A politician who sticks to his principles, even when the wind seems to change, will always end up better off than one who panders to the polls.