Saving Conservatism from the GOP

"The GOP is in bad shape," Peter Wehner writes in today's Washington Post. "Conservatism is not." Indeed, the GOP's problems "stem from being seen as having become less conservative and principled." And the American public still regularly identifies as conservative—in favor of lower taxes and smaller government. This bears out in the presidential election, where Obama has succeeded, in part, by tacking right. The financial crisis, if nothing else, gives conservatives a chance to reemerge from the political wilderness by proving their commitment to "modern, accountable and responsive institutions."