Republicans get back to the core

A thumbs-up, thumbs-down assessment of newsmakers here and beyond:

THUMBS UP: Adding credence to the theory that Republicans work best when in the minority, the conservative party put up its parliamentary dukes this week in a slugfest with Senate Democrats over the state budget. The upper chamber passed a spending plan in a 22-18 vote that reflected the partisan divide. Republicans lost that war, but won a significant battle along the way, pulling in a moderate Democrat to help pass an amendment withdrawing state money from Planned Parenthood abortion clinics. Richmond insiders as well as editorial writers are grumbling about the outbreak of partisanship in a chamber known for its collegiality. We say bravo. Elected officials are sent to office to act on principles, not vote in a fashion that helps everyone get along. Neither partisanship nor compromise is inherently wrong, however dirty the p-word might strike those who chafe at spirited debate. But just as compromise recognizes that some fights aren't worth having, partisanship recognizes that some ideals are too important to be cast aside. We commend Senate conservatives for their apparent return to their party's core values, chief among them, limited spending and its corollary, limited government.

THUMBS DOWN: The reformation of spine in the backs of Virginia Senate Republicans surely would have been a pleasing development to a conservative north of the Mason-Dixon line. Before radio talkers began yammering their way to prominence as the voices of modern conservatism, there was William F. Buckley. When backed into a rhetorical corner by the folly of their own arguments, liberals are wont to resort to depictions of their philosophical foes either as empty-headed rubes or soulless scions. Taking on Buckley with such specious reasoning was like fighting a giant with a sling and a rock. Goliath wins every time outside the biblical realm. Buckley's intellect and skill in arguing the conservative cause were of an almost mythological sort. Beyond the founding of the deeply influential National Review magazine, Buckley's most intriguing contribution was his rare ability to wage passionate, thoroughly reasoned philosophical warfare in a manner that allowed the dignity of his opponents and the discussion itself to retain their shine. In recent years, Buckley was an outspoken opponent of war in Iraq, providing a valuable buffer against the wave of flag-waving conservative talkers. Buckley died Wednesday at his Connecticut home. He was 82. Ronald Reagan is the enduring hero of many modern conservatives. Though less visible in the current day, Buckley looms larger in the conservative pantheon.

THUMBS DOWN: Lacking a sufficient number of government fingers in the subprime mortgage pie, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine is pushing to plunge the commonwealth into the mess. The governor wants to give homeowners a 30-day reprieve on their high-interest mortgages. This would supplement a plan by President Bush to freeze interest rates on adjustable rate mortgages. Remember, the federal Community Reinvestment Act passed 30 years ago helped create the subprime crisis by requiring lenders to extend credit to high-risk customers. Now the government wants to rescue America from itself by subverting contractual agreements between lenders and borrowers. Lenders already are active in seeking to work out alternative terms to help avert foreclosure. After all, they also stand to lose plenty on loans gone bad. In other words, players in the market are working on the problem. Government should stand aside. Had its meddling hands been restrained three decades ago, there might not have been a subprime collapse to fix.