There is only one man who can unify the social, fiscal, and defense conservatives. That man is Fred Thompson. Voters in South Carolina relegated the only true conservative on the ballot to third place.

Fred Thompson on Conservative Principles:

John McCain cannot unify Republicans. His collaboration with Democrats in the Senate, support for amnesty, and opposition to tax cuts do nothing to inspire the conservative base. McCain used his power in the past to push through McCain-Feingold “Campaign Finance Reform”, which has stifled free political speech. McCain can only win primaries with the help of Democrats and Independents. In this year’s general election, these will likely go the Democrats, with a depressed conservative base turn-out.

Mike Huckabee cannot unite the Reagan Coalition, as he doesn’t even believe the coalition is worth preserving. His “religiosity” will turn off Independents and Democrats. His high tax and big spending ways will turn away fiscal conservatives. His use of religious buzz words to impress Evangelicals will wear thin, as it becomes apparent he is uses them for his own political advantage and not from a place of true faith. He wants to take us in a direction where government plays the role of God … a bloated government that gives directives requiring us to comply for our “own good”. Christian charity should come from the heart, not from impersonal, bloated, compulsory government programs. Over time, voters will grow weary when he tells a joke or uses empty platitudes instead of addressing real issues. The main stream media will tear him limb from limb, dragging up every controversial religious comment he’s ever uttered, and dig into past corruption allegations against him in Arkansas.

The Republican Party cannot find solace in Rudy Giuliani as a unifying force. He had experience dealing with the aftermath of a terrorist attack, but has no real foreign policy experience. He will do nothing to inspire social conservatives, as he is unapologetically pro-choice and his record on gun rights is abysmal. Rudy’s less than stellar personal life and philandering ways will be dissected. His unflattering cross-dressing pictures will be splattered across the internet, inspiring little respect.

Mitt Romney has the best chance of holding the coalition together, on paper. However, Mitt’s had one too many road-to-Damascus conversions to be credible. His change of heart on abortion seems just a little too convenient. There is something about Mitt that seems too slick, too perfect, and insincere. Perhaps Mitt is a changed man, but he has yet to convince conservatives he is the real article. If he can’t convince conservatives of his authenticity and honesty, how will he convince the country as a whole?

With sorrow in my heart, I predict a Republican loss in 2008, if we choose any of these alternatives. Hello President Hillary.

So to Fred, I say, fight on. Although the percentages are not in Fred’s favor, there is still no clear, undeniable leader in this race. Regardless of the outcome, we need a man willing to stand up for true conservative values: a limited, non-intrusive government, strong moral values and respect for life, strong military and unflinching foreign policy. We need a man to hold Republicans’ feet to the fire and not let us forget where we came from or allow us to devolve into failed social policies and experiments of the past. We need someone to remind us never to become a nation that appeases evil and shrinks from our responsibilities. We need someone who is in the race for love of country, not for personal aggrandizement or power. Whether or not Fred Thompson in the eventual nominee, we need someone to show us how a true blue American conservative man looks and sounds. Perhaps we won’t recognize what a president should look like this year. Maybe it will take four years of Hillary to bring us back to a place where we look at substance over style, patriotism over ambition, and true conservatism over empty liberalism.