Republicans

    I heartily agree with Bruce Bartlett's scathing description of Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's proposal for a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution: it's phony, simplistic, ill-informed and cynical.

    But my wife stopped me cold this morning with this question:  "Ed, what if you were a Republican politician right now, running against a Democrat?  What else would you come up with?"

    My short answer: I got nothing. 

     Obviously, there are plausible conservative ideas about how to reduce the budget deficit, deal with entitlements, reform health care or regulate financial services.