Shorter notice

During the course of an early morning Sunday news program, the putative head of the House Republicans, John Boehner, was being questioned. His interrogator said, “Congressman Boehner, you are opposed to cap and trade, Obama healthcare, and the stimulus package. Please tell us what the Republicans are for?” It struck me that the question was equivalent to giving LeBron James an open lane for a slam dunk. But to my utter astonishment, Boehner was hesitant and seemingly unsure of himself. The moment passed, as did a significant opportunity. All I could think of at that moment wasn’t that it was a shame that the congressman hadn’t read R. Emmett Tyrrell’s new book After the Hangover: The Conservatives’ Road to Recovery. In my judgment, here is the blueprint for Republican success, written clearly and profoundly.

Although Sam Tanenhaus, the editor of The New York...