AnalPhilosopher

No. Republicans will seek to regain power by moving toward the middle and, thus, becoming less conservative. Yes, there will be exceptions here and there, but the Republican Party, on the whole, has sold its soul to big government for the sake of gaining and holding power. Ironically, Republicans came to power in 1994 by sending a clear message that the GOP is (was) the party of smaller (if not small) government. Congressional Republicans blinked in their confrontation with Clinton over the shutdown of the government in 1995, and they have yet to regain their moral courage. I have little hope that they will.

No and more importantly no for the country. The Dems have built up such a furious head of oppositional steam in their years out of power that their triumphalism will translate into legislative overreach that will almost certainly have to be checked by what the media will inevitably spin as unsportsmanlike obstructionism by Republicans. Even if the conservative base is energized it isn't at all clear this will result in a majoritarian rebound. Unless......

Apart from any conservative malaise the danger for the Republic is the sobering thought that if the Dem streak extends to the White House in 2008 then liberal minimization of the threat of honor-soaked Islamist radicalism, and haughty disdain for strong measures to confront it, could very well result in further grotesque terrorism on these shores. What may happen regarding such workaday issues as tax policy and affirmative-action pales into insignificance in the face of that grim possibility. A major attack could sweep conservatives back to power but the price in blood for having learned our lesson could be truly horrific.

No. If 6 years of maligning WORKS it will be embraced by partisans of all stripes adding to the suspicion that dolts are mutliplying too quickly. In the end, dolts elect dolts thereby cementing the liberal voting base.