The Other McCain says what I’ve been thinking.

And it’s good, practical advice:

Forget what Obama’s poll ratings are in February 2009. Forget about “Big Picture” questions of grand strategy. What counts is what the generic ballot question shows on Labor Day 2010. Republicans need to raise money, organize and identify at least 50 seats currently held by Democrats that the GOP can win in 2010. Do that basic stuff, and the “Big Picture” will take care of itself.

Read the whole thing, and note that he is not talking policy: he is talking politics. We talked policy in 2006 and 2008; the Democrats played politics. We lost: they won; and now they’re the ones setting policy. That’s the bad news; the good news is that the Democrats now have to concentrate on their policy – particularly their economic one, which is frankly lousy. Their foreign policy is better in comparison, because Obama essentially stole Bush’s counter-terrorism strategy… at least from their own supporters’ point of view, and they’re not happy about it, either. So we have angles.

I’m not telling you to abandon your principles, by the way. I’m telling you to go find a Senatorial, Congressional, or gubernatorial candidate in 2009 or 2010 that reasonably shares them, and help him or her get elected. Then you have a champion for your interests in a position to fight for them. Sounds spiffy, doesn’t it?

Crossposted to RedState.