Conservatives refuse to take their stunning loss as a sign of their failure to govern and a decisive verdict on the conservative policies that have enbiggened government and led us to the brink of economic catastrophe. They are also failing to see the err in their election strategy. Instead of embracing the centrist McCain, they veered him sharply to the right, turning off Clinton Democrats and independent voters, though shoring up their shrinking base.

Michelle Malkin fired the first salvos this evening, and while her vision of the future of the Republican Party includes further radical right-wing candidates, she is a voice that should not be pushed aside. I believe the genesis of the 2012 Republican presidential nominating contest will orginate from Malkin’s excellent blog, so be keen to the things she has to say:

The One ascends; McCain concedes
By Michelle Malkin

Well, it’s official. Barack Obama has been elected President of the United States. Fox and NBC have called the race.

It’s a historic moment.

Congratulations.

Here’s my promise to you: As long as I can still publish a blog and speak my mind openly about the next denizen of the White House, I will.

… Democrats won the White House, but they do not have an unfettered mandate for left-wing policies across the board.

Republicans need to learn from their losses. First step: Don’t put the same old, same old capitulationists and re-branding pimps in leadership positions.

You know the definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

I applaud Malkin’s promise to view the Obama Administration skeptically, but I hope that doesn’t amount to pointless muckraking and petty political games. What we need is principled conservatives who stay true to their ideology and work with our new president to forge consensus and results. What we don’t need is another Clintonian witch hunt to drive Obama from power in disgrace and embarrassment.

So I hope that Republicans can mature and join the rest of the country in our embrace of real change for our political system.

What a great night!