I noticed with great interest that Republican Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee won the real Republican candidate debate which was held in Ft. Lauderdale Florida September 17, 2007. Huckabee won by a substantial margin over runner up, Ron Paul.

I have sort of been overlooking Huckabee. He is a Southern Baptist pastor. Or, he was before going into politics. It stands to reason that he would stand out in a real values debate. He is certainly the most qualified on the spiritual/moral/values scale.

At this point, I don't know if I would consider Huckabee as politically conservative as Ron Paul although I would consider him to the right of the no show media darlings that call themselves Republicans.

In my mind Ron Paul's drive to anchor public policy to the legal constructs of the Constitution still represents the radically healthy break from convention that our nation must have now. A morally conservative candidate like Mike Huckabee will move us in the right general direction, but it seems that we would be better served to use the objectively tangible parameters of the constitution as our way point.

The Constitution of the United States was built on the appropriate Judeo-Christian foundation. Strict and radical adherence to that document as a governing principle will not lead us in the wrong direction. Public policy afloat on the turblence of public opinion and do nothing bi-partisan compromise takes us no closer to safety as I see things.

We have been given a bedrock solid anchor in the Constitution but we've allowed imbalance in the requisite checks and balances to separate us from that safe mooring. I like Ron Paul because he wants to steer us toward the clear focal point of the Constitution.

The Democrats and the "main line", media darlings of the old Republican party promise no real or positive change in my opinion. They represent different views on how to ballast a ship tossed and battered on a storm churned sea. They have no plan that will move us to safety. Their best efforts are only a futile attempt to keep the ship from sinking.

However, the neo-conservatism of the Constitutionalists Republican candidate, Ron Paul offers genuine hope that can turn our nation around and enable us to not only weather the storm but move toward safer waters.

I'm still hoping against hope that enough people will become sick enough of the status quo that they will listen for and hear the clarion call to reason and get behind Ron Paul.