Mark – I’ll end my contributions to this front of the argument here. I don’t know what Ferguson has “routinely” said about Sean Hannity. I’ll take your word for it that it has been uncharitable and I don’t associate myself with comments I have not seen. Again, I like Sean personally and I think he’s good at what he does. Moreover, I think Fox News is indisputably a net gain for the country and the conservative movement — much as talk radio has been, albeit in a different way. But I don’t see why that means I — or Ferguson — should love everything on Fox or on talk radio. I am an enormous fan of Hume’s (last night he gave what I think might be the single best short explanation of what conservatives and liberals mean when they refer to “judicial activism” ever offered by a mainstream newscaster). But as I’ve written on a few occassions, part of Fox’s success is its often relentless populist tone. I’m less of a fan of that sort of thing, even though I understand that as a business strategy it makes a great deal of sense.

I also think the focus this morning on talk radio and Fox is something of a distraction from the larger problem or challenge conservatism faces from having political power. I wouldn’t trade having a sometimes impure conservative Republican in the White House or the Speaker’s officer for a more pure liberal Democrat. But that hardly obliterates the fact that conservatism faces very real challenges by virtue of the fact that conservatives are — or are perceived to be — running the country. Growing pains are far better than dying pains, but they remain pains nonetheless.