McCain and the future of conservatives

As conservatives ponder what to do with McCain, the Wall Street Journal's Daniel Henninger puts forth a persuasive plea not to sit this one out. Henninger points out that four years in the wilderness under and Obama or Clinton Presidency is likely to make conservatives even madder at each other.

In the world of reactionary and negative blogs, YouTube and 24/7 cable news, we will be left sniping amongst ourselves as liberals use institutions -- the White House, House and Senate -- to galvanize their ideology. Henninger believes conservatives would be better off with McCain in the White House because we would have an institution from which policy and ideology could flow. His argument is that, contrary to our fears, McCain will govern conservatively.

Most of the distrust of the McCain candidacy is rooted in personal ill will. He's a hard case, and activists are often brittle. The fear is that one of the strongest impulses in a McCain presidency will be payback, and that he might sell out conservatives on taxes and the judiciary. That is possible, though by now it would require an act of deep duplicity by Mr. McCain. Here again, the conservatives should show more self-confidence.

The big lesson of the failed Harriet Miers nomination is that a real establishment on judicial nominations exists now in Washington. Throwing another David Souter over the transom and onto the Court is nearly impossible. A participant in this process who has discussed it with Sen. McCain tells me that he says his advisers on major judicial nominations will include Ted Olson, Sam Brownback and Jon Kyl. Miguel Estrada, a victim of the Gang of 14 senators on the judicial filibuster, has endorsed Mr. McCain.

But one thing Henninger does not mention is the way in which our movement organically grew in the past when we were out of power. During the 70's DC was crawling with liberals, and conservatism quietly strengthened. And it was Newt Gingrich who used the minority perch in the House to craft a cohesive conservative ideological game plan that resulted in the 1994 Revolution.

Why could conservatives in the House and Senate not to the same under a new liberal White House?