Playing Good D

John David Dyche wrote a terrific piece in today's Courier-Journal that rebuts the C-J's characterization of Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell as "obstructor." Dyche catalogues the Democrats' expensive and ill-conceived initiatives from which McConnell defended us throughout the past year.

As Republican Leader, McConnell reminded conservatives what it looks like to stand "athwart history, yelling Stop." Indeed, more than half a century ago, William F. Buckley envisioned the role that McConnell played this year:

There are those of generous impulse and a sincere desire to encourage a responsible dissent from the Liberal orthodoxy. And there are those who recognize that when all is said and done, the market place depends for a license to operate freely on the men who issue licenses — on the politicians.

In addition to reviewing the Pelosi-Reid Congress, Dyche maps out a Republican electoral strategy that would duplicate the recent conservative victory in France:

McConnell says Republicans everywhere should have one goal in mind -- recapturing the party's rightful mantle as the party of reform. He and other conservative party leaders cite French president Nicolas Sarkozy as a model. Sarkozy was a minister in the 12-year administration of French president Jacques Chirac, but voters bent on change still chose him over a beautiful and charismatic woman of the leftist opposition.

Here's my favorite line:

Ironically, congressional Democrats increasingly represent the kind of softness and creeping socialism the much-maligned French just rejected.

If even the French now embrace a conservative model for reform, then so can America, which to her credit elected Congressional Republicans who mounted a very successful defense in 2007. It's time to work for a turnover in November so we can go back on offense.