Followership

Via Andrew Sullivan, here's conservative pundit Peggy Noonan in The Wall Street Journal:

What happens to the Republicans in 2008 will likely be dictated by what didn't happen in 2005, and '06, and '07. The moment when the party could have broken, on principle, with the administration--over the thinking behind and the carrying out of the war, over immigration, spending and the size of government--has passed. What two years ago would have been honorable and wise will now look craven. They're stuck...

If they had pushed away for serious reasons, they could have separated the party's fortunes from the president's. This would have left a painfully broken party, but they wouldn't be left with a ruined "brand," as they all say, speaking the language of marketing. And they speak that language because they are marketers, not thinkers. Not serious about policy. Not serious about ideas. And not serious about leadership, only followership.

When I first started to look closely at Sen. Collins' record, in late 2006, I was struck by how rarely she'd crossed President Bush, especially in major votes.

But her refusal more recently--right up until now--to break decisively with the President and his failed policies: That's been even more surprising.