The liberal critics of Republicans want the GOP to behave itself and go back to the good old days best described by Eugene McCarthy’s quip that the chief purpose of moderate Republicans is to shoot the wounded after the battle is over. No thanks.

Last week I wrote about the standings in the presidential race and said it looked like a long, hard slog through about a dozen clearly identified target states, much like the contests in 2000 and 2004. Call it the 2000/2004 long, hard slog scenario.

Every federal official has an obligation to act in line with the Constitution as he or she understands it. And that doesn't necessarily mean obeying Supreme Court decisions.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg likes the Indian Health Care Improvement Act and other ingredients of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka “Obamacare.” Why, she asked toward the end of three days of hearings, shouldn’t the court keep the good stuff in Obamacare and just dump the unconstitutional bits?

Rand Paul is wrong, as the libertarian position should not be to defend Jim Crow but to condemn it due to its unjust bigotry and its economic folly.

William F. Buckley Jr. greatly influenced modern conservatism and will be missed dearly.

Conservatives, being conservatives, have a soft spot for the good old days, but those who pine for the way things were fail to grasp that in the ways that matter, the good old days were not perfect.

Republicans may find it hard to strike a balance that keeps its ardent social conservatives inside the tent without losing the adherence or enthusiasm of a large group of others.