Frank Cannon writes for National Review Online today [1] that Reagan's legacy has been somewhat misinterpreted-that Reagan ran against his party's orthodoxy in a way that brought opposition from the Republican establishment and was the candidate of new ideas in a stagnant party. Says Cannon:

"More than three decades after Reagan's first presidential primary victories and nearly two decades after the end of his presidency, it's understandable that Reaganism is often remembered in conventional terms, as a linear descendant of such previous conservative leaders as Barry Goldwater and Robert Taft. But this greatly underrates the creativity and originality of the issue package Reagan put together in the 1970s and 1980s. In pivotal areas, Reagan went directly against the grain of conventional wisdom as defined by the Republican establishment of his day."

This point is one that the GOP needs to understand. We can't become too married to specific policies that we lose track of the difference between policy and principle. Reagan was interested in principle above policy. His policies clearly followed from conservative principles, but that does not change the fact that they were dramatically different than the Republican orthodoxy of the day. Conservatism faces the danger, today, of failing to adjust its tone and policies to face the political climate. First principles must remain, but specific policy solutions should not become dogma. I'd love to see the Republican Party become the party of simple and commonsense solutions to difficult issues, as it was during the Reagan Revolution, not a party that clings to the policies that swept it to power decades ago.

Unfortunately, I don't see the Republican presidential candidates seizing the moment and putting forth bold, innovative policy solutions. Time will tell, and specific policies are still being rolled out, I suppose. But if a candidate did put forth a forward-looking agenda that goes against the Republican establishment's pet policies, I wonder how much support he'd get?