A conservative crack-up

Mark Steyn muses on the propensity for conservative pundits to live in liberal parts of the country, where the ideas they profess have little chance to prevail:

[W]hen a conservative pundit mocks Wasilla, he's mocking conservatism as it's actually lived, as opposed to conservatism as a theoretical fantasy playground for the purposes of cocktail-party banter.

Kathleen Parker, Peggy Noonan, Chris Buckley, Heather MacDonald, Charles Krauthammer and David Frum take note. Meanwhile, why should I take anything Fred Barnes and Bill Kristol say seriously again? These guys have been pushing McCain since 2000 and now are constantly criticizing him for running a campaign that perfectly fits his well-known personality and beliefs.