As I said before in this column, the GOP deserved to lose this election. Under President George W. Bush, the Republican Party has become little more than a carbon copy of the Democratic Party. Therefore, voters concluded, "Why settle for phonies when one can have the genuine article?"

As the Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, president of Human Life International, said, "If the Republican Party truly wants to know why they lost, they need only look in the mirror. The most vulnerable seats in both houses were those held by politicians who had abandoned the pro-life and the pro-marriage principles that first brought them to power."

As an example of the GOP's neglect to fight for conservative principles, Euteneuer noted the loss of pro-life legislation in South Dakota. He correctly said, "While South Dakotans fought valiantly to defend their babies, we once again witnessed an almost total lack of support from the national [Republican] leadership."

Euteneuer is right. George Bush's neocons have all but decimated whatever genuine conservatism remained in the GOP, and they did it on the backs of the faithful conservatives still in the party.

One should know that a part of the Republican Party's strategy will involve a further retreat from conservative principles. I, here and now, predict that the GOP nominee for president in 2008 will most definitely be a pro-choice "moderate" who will enthusiastically embrace Bush's goal of establishing a North American Union. I also predict that he will most certainly endorse civil unions for same-sex couples.

Yet, the real question is, "What will conservatives and constitutionalists do in 2008?" By then, it will be completely clear to people of faith and supporters of constitutional government that neither the Republican nor Democratic candidate for President remotely represents them. Indeed, what will they do?

I believe that it is absolutely essential to our future and to the preservation of our form of government and way of life that a major third party quickly appear. It is time for Christian ministers and conservative leaders to get some backbone and take a stand. This pathetic loyalty to the GOP for some "lesser of two evils" mantra is so utterly bankrupt that only the most apathetic lackey could continue to embrace it.

The American people must have a constitutional option. We must have a political vehicle by which conservative, constitutional principles can be transported to public debate and policy. It is time to forget the Republican Party. It is time to forget business as usual. In fact, it is time to forget the traditional two-party system. A constitutionally-oriented third party must emerge. And it must emerge in time for the 2008 elections.

I challenge Alan Keyes to lead the charge. I challenge Pat Buchanan to lead the charge. I challenge Joe Scarborough to lead the charge. I challenge Phyllis Schlafly to lead the charge. I challenge Charley Reese to lead the charge. I challenge Ron Paul and Tom Tancredo to lead the charge. I challenge Jerry Falwell, D. James Kennedy, James Dobson, and John Hagee to lead the charge. I challenge my preacher-brethren to lead the charge. We need the Black Regiment. We need conservative libertarians. We need constitutionalists of both major parties.

Republicans come and go. Democrats come and go. Little changes. We need a spiritual revival in our churches, and we need a revival of constitutional government in Washington, D.C. The former will take courageous, independent preachers. The latter will take a courageous, independent party. I'm ready for one. Aren't you?

© Chuck Baldwin

Dr. Chuck Baldwin's radio talk show, "Chuck Baldwin Live" is heard 36 times a week on 5 different radio stations in the Pensacola, Florida area.

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