It's time for the GOP to be honest, the party is up against the ropes. The party lost control of Congress in 2006, as well as most governorships, and state legislatures. The defeat in 2006 wasn't just a defeat it was a realignment. It was the American people embracing the Democrats, and they did it because the Republicans strayed from what they believed in. Perhaps it's anger at Republicans, or maybe it's that the American people really favor the party of statism, cowards, socialists, and collaborators. If it's the latter there really isn't anything the GOP can do, if the people want the Democrats they're going to elect them. If it's the former then it's about putting our house in order.

That might not be such an easy thing to do. In order for a party to put its house in order it has to know what it stands for. Right now the Republican party seems to be going through an identity crisis, with each candidate claiming the mantle of Reagan without really believing in anything he did.

And let's be honest, most of the candidates are pretty unimpressive. Giuliani is to the left of most Republicans on the social issues that are important to them. Huckabee, is trying to turn the Republican party into a party that is the party of religious values, into a party that only respects one kind of religion. He's also a protectionist tax hiker who doesn't understand a thing about foreign affairs. McCain is a short tempered, vain, maverick who seems to attack his own party simply to prove that he can. Romney has gone from being a liberal New England Republican to being a Reaganite conservative, being a Mormon doesn't help him either(be honest would Iowans have abandoned him for Huckabee if Romney had been say, a Methodist?)

Now, of course, no party is ever going to get the perfect candidate. There were times when conservatives were upset with Reagan. And while each candidate has their strong points, none of them really excite the conservatives in the GOP. Thompson comes the closest but, so far, his candidacy hasn't gone anywhere.

So the Republican party must decide what kind of a party it should be. Does it remain the party of "compassionate conservatism" does it become a protectionist party, hostile to free enterprise, does it become the party of unrestricted immigration, or does it stick to the conservative principles that have allowed it to win all but three Presidential races since 1968?

The Republican party needs to answer these questions or it could be looking at a Democratic Congress, and President, and spending a long time in political exile. The Democrats have the better hand for 2008, the momentum from 2006, independents flocking to them, and the GOP has more seats to defend in the Senate, and far more vulnerable seats. If the Republicans want to have any chance of survival they need to answer the questions before them, and get the American people to believe in them again.