In fact, all the conservative Republicans, from Newt Gingrich to Pete Wilson, who have sought political advantage by exploiting white resentment should come and stand in the charred ruins of the New Liberty Baptist Church in Tyler, a tiny hamlet 10 miles east of Selma, and wonder if their coded phrases encouraged the arsonists.

CNN: Playing with Fire

One of the fears among Republicans all along has been that the party's conservative base, not considering a former governor of Massachusetts who once backed abortion rights and his own version of government health insurance to be one of their own, would drift away.

WSJ: Three Reasons the Presidential Race Isn't Over

The biggest myth of all is that conservative Christians are dyed-in-the-wool Republicans.

ECONOMIST: Not all conservative Christians are Republicans

On the one hand, American Jews, who overwhelmingly self-identify as Democrats and disproportionately identify as liberals, oppose Palin for the same reason they oppose all social-conservative Republicans - because she isn't a liberal Democrat.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Sarah Palin's friendship

These districts suit not only black and Latino Democrats, who easily win election in such enclaves, but also conservative white Republicans, who win in all the contiguous places from which the minorities have been gerrymandered out.

ECONOMIST: Congressional redistricting: Tinkering time | The

And the current bunch of Republicans in power are not conservative at all: they are right-wing ideologues.

ECONOMIST: Past and present dangers

This all brings back fresh memories from 2005, when conservative Republicans thought they were on top of the world.

CNN: Commentary: Democrats' incompetence isn't funny