Steve Schmidt's moment of clarity...

[DrToast]

You remember him, right? John McCain's campaign manager.



This guy?

Well, the thing about him is that he's never been socially conservative. Sure, he's pandered to them like a good chunk of Republicans, but it sounds like he's one of the few that will acknowledge that's not a viable strategy anymore.

Speaking publicly for one of the first times since the end of the presidential campaign, John McCain's campaign manager Steve Schmidt painted a dire portrait of the state of the Republican Party, arguing that the GOP has largely been co-opted by its religious elements.

"If you put public policy issues to a religious test, you risk becoming a religious party," Schmidt declared. "And in a free country, a political party cannot be viable in the long term if it is seen as a sectarian party."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/17/steve-schmidt-mccain-camp_n_188354.html

He's right, of course, but will anyone listen?