Before I give my reaction to your article, let me introduce myself. I am a through-and-through conservative (though not necessarily Republican on all points). I am a strong believer in classical liberalism (or modern American conservatism). I am also a conservative evangelical Christian who attends Bob Jones University. With those credentials, I'm pretty much a thoroughbred conservative.

Now, I may shock you when I say this, but I completely agree with the thesis of your article. The straw-man rhetoric too often seen on the right-wing is ridiculous and embarassing. I will personally argue the issues with you just as passionately as anybody at the Heritage Foundation; yet, I will argue against their tactics just as strongly as you. What we need is "fair and balanced" analysis of the issues (and, no, I'm not saying Fox News does that). I believe (and you will disagree) that the conservative side will come out on top in such an analysis. However, we can agree that the rhetoric you observed in David Kupelian's speech has no place in the public forum. Neither liberals nor conservatives ought to obscure the issues to make a point.

Amazing. In a recent protracted discussion, I've been trying to articulate this idea for awhile now, and you have done it perfectly--eloquent, concise, and astute.

Go, college kids, go! Your article rocked--thank you.