Chris Christie may not be a solid conservative, but I hesitate to use the term RINO for him.

RINOs are squishy.  RINOs don’t lead, unless it’s to undermine conservatives.  Certainly none of them have any worth as statesmen.  None of this applies to Christie, who while moderate, has hit some very tough problems in his state head-on and without apology.  Maybe I don’t agree with him all the time, but he’s worthy of a healthy dose of respect.

He’s not remotely a garden-variety moderate.  He’s just a worthwhile exception, like Giuliani was during the 9/11 crisis.  Not entirely conservative, but a real leader.

Well, Governor Christie has hit another one out of the park.  He’s basically laid out what the Republicans need to do if they return to power, and true to his usual form, he hits the GOP head on.  In short, he describes the put up or shut up moment they’ll be facing if they manage to return, and he couldn’t be more right.

One more George Bush styled presidency, and there won’t be a Republican Party.  One more massive capitulation, one more major instance of Democrats running rings around them, and they could very well lose it all.  The Tea Parties and conservatives in general have already proven we can fight without them, and in the end, a new good second party is a lot better than a permanently weak dysfunctional one.  Whether that happens with Republican reform or something new rising from their ashes is up to them.

Addendum, 9/30/2010:  I kan haz editur!  Corrected a title error to accurately reflect Governor Christie’s name.