Mercifully, we approach the end of this two year orgy of pandering, prevaricating, and pomposity known as the 2008 presidential election.  On the eve of the election, the Grand Old Party stands on the precipice of its greatest defeat since the Great Depression and the days of FDR.  In the heady post-9/11 days, few would have thought that such good will could be so quickly squandered.  What of the new dawn born of the Contract with America,  a brief shining moment when it appeared that Reagan's promise of a new federalism may bear fruit?

All gone, confined to the dust bins of memory and nostalgia.  The GOP, come Wednesday morning, faces the stark realization that its eight year, lust filled power trip of frenzied spending, foreign adventurism and ongoing federalization has been soundly rejected by the American voter.  Oddly, though, not for those reasons.  Indeed, the voters are about to put in power a team that promises even more spending and increased federalization of all areas of your life and our economy.  No, the GOP is about to be replaced by the party that is actually better (worse?) at all of those things than the Bush "conservatives."

It should come as no surprise that Democrats do it better.  It has been the foundation of their party for some 75 years.  It should come as no surprise that when both parties campaign on a platform of bigger government, more nanny state, and more spending, the voters will choose those who wish to do it biggest.  Once the GOP ceded the ground of reducing the scope of government, the die was cast.

So we find ourselves here, with the worst nominee since Nixon, with the most intellectually bereft campaign in my memory, facing what seems to be an inevitable onslaught of losses at the legislative and executive levels, and by extension, at the judicial level as well.  All the while, from the national GOP to the candidate's committee, to the "independent" PACs, we see negative, hate filled attacks on our opponents and in cyberspace, by our so called allies, preposterous attacks, insinuations, conspiracy theories, and distortions.    It is small wonder the "ideas" behind the McCain campaign are being roundly rejected.  It is small wonder that our down ticket candidates will pay the price for this lack of vision from the top.  If a rising tide lifts all boats, surely a collapsing wave swamps many in its wake.

I want you to think back to the primaries.  The popular opinions around the blogosphere and on the conservative talk shows was that John McCain was simply too liberal to survive the primary process.  Rush Limbaugh vilified him.  Now, today, the same people that called out McCain for what he was - an enemy to true conservatives - extol his virtues and attack his opponent.

Friends, this campaign is not about ideas; it is simply about power.  The same lust for power turned conservatives from the class of '94 into big spenders when the voters handed them the reigns.  The ideas that won power in 94 became inconvenient hindrances to the exercise of power.  Given the choice between power and principle, we chose wrongly, and the nation has suffered.  In the name of party loyalty, we have been disloyal to ourselves, and the nation has suffered.

Tuesday is going to hurt.  It is going to hurt for a long time.  However, unless we can reclaim the mantle of the the Gingrich Republicans, unless we can put principle above power, and unless we can hold true to conservative principles and make ideas, not idiocy, our means of persuasion, we will be just another big government party trying to compete with the Dems.

And remember, they will always be better at big government than us.  Let's leave that to them.