HOLD-YOUR-NOSE.COM: (X-beatjohnmccain.com) Inspired by Momma McCain: Obama speech analysis below: way ahead of media.

It is a pretty consistent trend right now. Republican conservatives on the beat McCain train are a wide cross section of folks from just about everywhere....everywhere that is but Washington D.C. Led by talk show hosts and pundits, this would include Rush, Hannity, Ann Coulter, Boortz, Laura Ingraham and their callers, readers, followers in "fly over country." It also includes James Dobson, who in a refreshing twist has actually decided to investigate McCain's conservative cred with respect to family issues in addition to the very windy road the Straight Talk Express has travelled. (memo to Dr. Richard Land...you should "get out more.")

Conversely, the royal elitist in the GOP who are lecturing this great unwashed population on the fact that they should, among other things, "just calm down," are predictably all part of the Inside the Beltway crowd. This would include Bob Dole, who retired just in time for his wife to get a Senate seat...making the Dole family the longest term residents of D.C. this side of the Lincoln Memorial. Talk about being "on the dole." Throw in Bill Bennett, who continues to erode in his principals the longer he hangs around this media-political culture, serial campaigner Mark McKinnon, beltway pundits like Krystal and Barnes and a long littany of Jurassic Park Congress-a-sauruses still in office or in town as lobbyists.

These are the folks who are not just supporting McCain...but this is the crowd patronizing the anti McCain movement and trying to marginalize us. They think we need to calm down, shut up, be a nice little Republican and jump on board and be grateful for the opportunity.

What they don't realize is that this is far more than a normal primary spat. This is not just the prelude to a grand coming together cum-bah-yah (not being an anti war lib, I have no idea how to spell that) moment. A grand KMA moment maybe. But this inside the beltway crowd is totally out of touch with this thought process and the emotion behind it.

What they don't understand, in addition to what having a real job feels like, is the fact that we are capital C conservative...but small r republican. Without the principals, what's the point. A big government liberal is a big government liberal and the "R" on a registration card doesn't mean much to us.

BOUNS: just because I have to say it again...Mort Kondracke is an idiot. Last night he was going thru all kinds of angst trying to see how McCain could get the Republican base while still appealing to moderates. Like so many, he just doesn't remember that Reagan did it....by bringing THEM TO HIM and not vise versa. And sheesh...Kondracke is certainly OLD enough to remember that. How bout upping the omega 3's there Mort.