Here's an article worth reading by Jeffrey Lord from the American Spectator. He discusses the epic clash between Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford for the soul of the Republican Party and the Conservative movement. The history lesson hits home when Lord touches on the similar struggles today within the GOP. Lord is right on when he credits Ford for his basic honesty and integrity but faults him severely for his Keynesian-leaning economic policies and soft stance toward the Soviet Union. These faults contributed to Ford's defeat at the hands of Jimmy Carter in 1976.
In this clash between Republican giants, Reagan was the undisputed victor and GOP victories ever since can be credited to his unabashedly conservative vision for the Party's future. Whenever Republicans stray from Reagan's conservative principles, they suffer; as seen in the last election cycle. Ford and Bush Sr. also lost in their day because they pooh-poohed conservative principles while governing. President George W. Bush seems to be a blend of the two schools but at present, he's tilting more toward Ford than Reagan. In retrospect however, George W. Bush will be seen as a great president, despite his shortcomings. With the exception of his failure to curb Congressional spending, Bush gets it right where Ford got it wrong.
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10801
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