A Loyal Opposition

A Loyal Opposition: "Six months into the Obama presidency, conservatives and Republicans have occasion for some good cheer.

It's not simply that key and noxious elements of Obama's legislative agenda are in serious trouble. It's not simply that his approval numbers are down. It's not simply that the evidence is increasingly conclusive that 2008 didn't mark a sharp break to the left on the part of public opinion, and that 'conservative' remains a term of approbation for much more of the electorate than 'liberal.' And it's not simply that the term 'Republican' is less poisonous than many feared (or hoped): The GOP has recently improved its comparative position in most 2010 generic congressional polls.

The most heartening development in the Age of Obama so far is this: the impressive behavior of conservatives and Republicans. They have been principled in their major domestic and foreign policy positions, have opposed Obama and advanced their own agenda in a savvy and sensible way, and have begun to find new and fresh spokesmen. There are some conservative pundits and GOP talking-heads who've kept themselves busy with navel- gazing and fratricidal-sniping--but they haven't distracted most on the right from the job at hand.

In domestic policy, it's the American public who deserve much credit for slowing down and perhaps capsizing Obamacare. But Republican politicians and conse"