Disenchanted Republican voters who plan to stay home in November to teach the party a lesson might very well assume that Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and other senior Democrats who would likely take over leadership positions in the House and Senate, would only occupy those positions for two years, and that the lessons would then have been learned by the Republican leadership as a result of the slap down by the base, with Republicans deservedly and gloriously riding back into power in 2008.

Tony Blankley writes that Republicans have no such assurance that a recess from the majority would only last for 24 months, and that therefore thoughtful and prudent Republicans had better think through very carefully who is best equipped - although often imperfect at execution - to advance those ideals that they hold most dear into actual legislation. Those best equipped are most assuredly not Democrats.

Blankley is persuasive in making the point that it would be a very grave gamble on the part of conservatives to assume that after a couple of years in the wilderness Republicans could come sallying forth back into leadership. Indeed, Democrat party gains in governorships, House and Senate seats would make it less likely that the Republican nominee in 2008 could wage a successful fight for the White House. Conservatives that stay home on November 7th in protest would not only imperil Republican control of the House and/or Senate, but they would also jeopardize continued Republican control of the White House.

Conservatives are not to be blamed or criticized for being less than enthused about the current Republican congressional leadership, but they will have no one but themselves to blame if they stay home on November 7th, and either or both the House and Senate slips into Democrat party control, with abysmal consequences for the conservative agenda to assuredly follow.