Liberal Republicans Should be Punished

Well, I thought that Hugh Hewitt had jumped the shark when defending Hariett Miers, placing his politics ahead of his principles. But look who's making the case for retribution against the cowardly Republicans who voted against dtilling in ANWR?

If the party isn't dedicated to being a majority party organized around the core issue of national security seriousness, it won't last as a majority anyway. Exiling the weak-kneed on a national security issue is exactly the sort of action that will underscore the seriousness of the party on these issues.

Hugh makes the claim that the GOP cannot afford to have individual views trump the party's agenda on national security issues, and suggests that the members who voted against drilling in ANWR be stripped of their committee and subcommittee chairs. Fine with me. I'd also refuse to send them any national campaign money, and the GOP should encourage primary opponents to run against them. Liberal Republicans, as a rule, should be punished.

Of course, the common thread with Hewitt is that, as with Miers and here, he views his own agenda as being equivilent with the agenda of the GOP, which should be defended at all costs. He viewed those attacking Miers as the ones pursuing their own individual agendas at the expense of the party. But when discussing the agenda of "the party," numbers are what counts, and the numbers were against Miers from the beginning.

Here's a thought, though: I wonder when Hugh will take his own advice on party discipline and purge the pro-abortion GOP members? That should be just as important as making national security a party agenda item.

But, maybe Hewitt HAS learned something from the Miers episode after all. He actually makes the suggestion that if liberal Republicans keep scuttling a conservative agenda, conservatives won't vote Republican next time around:

Pro-ANWR exploration Republicans from competitive districts ought to realize that their "colleagues" are endangering not only the majority but their seats as well. It might be unpleasant to deal out some party discipline, but a whole lot less unpleasant than having Nancy Pelosi as the Speaker.

Darn right, Hugh. About time you learned it.