With a hat tip to the smartest guys around, Powerline…

Deroy Murdoch comments on where we are, how we got there and what we need to do first in his latest NRO column…

I won’t bother with suspense to get to his money quote…

Once the GOP’s detritus is dislodged, rebuilding can begin. **The best way Republicans can redeem themselves is to ask daily: “What would Reagan do?”**

It’s no secret that I’m no fan of George W. Bush. I think history will show, and certainly any history of conservative leaders will show, that GWB is arguably the worst President in the last century.

On the “good” side, I think his initial run at foreign policy was excellent. The first version of the “Bush Doctrine” was right on the money, it was clear and unambiguous. Unfortunately, over a very short time, it – like most of Bush’s other initiatives – got muddled and misdirected. Bush was right to go into Iraq, and we’ve not had a terrorist attack aimed at the US outside of Iraq or Afghanistan since 9/11. The President should get credit for that accomplishment. He’s also given us two good SCOTUS justices after the Myers debacle. And then, we can’t forget… Oh yeah, there wasn’t anything else.

Deroy Murdoch hammers the nail home.

Comrade George W. Bush has spearheaded the most aggressive federal expansion since Franklin Delano Roosevelt. As a delivery system for socialism, he has been the most effective Trojan Horse since that pine steed rolled into Troy.

When Bush arrived, Washington consumed 18.4 percent of Gross Domestic Product. Uncle Sam now devours 22.5 percent of the economy…

President Bush never made any bones about the fact that he wasn’t a small government conservative. He campaigned in 2000 as a “compassionate conservative” and proposed various government expansions (NCLB for one) as a candidate. He also promised that an expansion of the Department of Education would get us vouchers to expand “choice” in education, and he promised to veto campaign finance reform legislation. He gave away the farm on both counts. And, speaking of the farm, he bought it back with current Farm Bill and with his ethanol cave in that has driven up the price of food so we put corn in our gas tanks. Heaven forbid that we should drill for oil when we’ve got corn.

Nevertheless, Bush is the GOP’s Jimmy Carter, a weak bumbler who embarrassed his constituents, betrayed his philosophical movement, sank his party, and eventually surrendered the White House to the opposition, this time led by the Senate’s Number One liberal, still in his first term. Bush should retire quietly to Texas, where he can drive his truck, chop wood, and avoid the limelight for the balance of his natural existence.

Bush could use someone to sweep the leaves at his ranch. I nominate Karl Rove. Why on Earth is he always on TV spewing advice? As “the architect” of the oxymoronic Big Government Conservatism, he counseled Bush to solidify power by spending like a Democrat, slapping tariffs on steel, and locking away his veto pen for six years. Under Rove, the administration’s communications efforts made the Tower of Babel sound like a news channel.

Herein is my only quibble with Mr. Murdoch. He rightly cites the President’s betrayal of those of us who elected him. Twice. And his inability to communicate. And his penchant for taking bad advice. What he leaves out is the President’s virtually complete silence in the face of relentless attacks by Democrats and the press (but I repeat myself), on Iraq and on every other issue they could find a headline. The President promised a Newtone™, and we got it. It sounded a lot like chirping crickets from our side. He allowed Democrats to out-and-out lie about events and issues (16 Words & Plame for easy examples) and he not only didn’t set them straight, he actually agreed with them.

And then there’s the NYT and WaPo publishing top secret information on the War on Terror. What did the President do? He made an angry sounding statement. And then… zip. He could have asked DoJ to impanel a federal grand jury to investigate the leaks, have subpoenaed the writers and editors of the NYT and WaPo and when they refused to give up their sources tossed them in jail for the duration of the grand jury. And then empaneled another one immediately upon the expiration of that grand jury. But no, that wouldn’t be nice. And heck, it’s only national security. And we wouldn’t want the NYT and WaPo or the TV networks or CNN upset with the Administration, they might start slanting their news coverage. Oh. Yeah.

Murdoch does get right back on track though.

With few exceptions, Republican congressional leaders cheered this elephantiasis amid an atmosphere of corruption, incompetence, and unaccountability. Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, House GOP chief John Boehner, House Republican whip Roy Blunt, and other failed leaders should go warm the back benches.

Not much I can add to that. Except maybe a few more names.

Murdoch doesn’t just wallow in the negative, he’s got some excellent advice for us with respect to the Congress…

Americans should listen to Republicans who courageously advance pro-market principles today. Senators Jim DeMint and Tom Coburn would make outstanding GOP honchos. House Republicans should elevate Jeff Flake, Mike Pence, Jeb Hensarling, and John Shadegg to key positions.

Mr. Murdoch ends his column with the comment about Reagan that I started with. If the foundation of the Republican Party is anything other than the conservative, small government principles espoused by Ronald Reagan we will be in the wilderness for a whole lot more than the forty years we wandered there the last time. Let’s hope we’ve learned our lesson about moderates, those who need a modifying adjective in front of “conservative” and those who worship at the altar of “bipartisanship”. While we certainly want them to vote Republican, they are not the focus of the Party of Reagan because they stand for “good government” not “less government” and the former will always give us more government.

If we’re going to get out of the wilderness we need solid, committed, conservative leadership. We need a “smaller government” platform that focuses on fiscal responsibility and individual responsibility. We also need to understand that the current version of the Democratic Party is the antithesis of the vision the Founding Fathers had for America and that we are in a war for the very soul of the Nation. The Democrats understand that, we don’t. Hopefully we will and our new Party leadership will reflect that.

In closing, so we have a clear picture of the home for all those who got us to where we are…