The Buckley Rule has received a lot of attention recently, as one seasoned moderate after another has been toppled in Republican primaries by Tea Party purists.  Inspired by the Alaskan Joan of Arc, a band of pitchfork-wielding villagers and exurbanites have given the heave ho to anyone that looks the slightest bit too comfortable in the Beltway. 

The Buckley Rule posits that conservatives should vote for the most conservative person who is electable in a general election.  Given the wisdom and wit of its author, William F. Buckley, the Rule deserves serious consideration and respect.

Many savvy modern conservatives are understandably concerned that Republican control of the Senate will elude the movement because of the lack of tactical prowess on the part of the Tea Partiers in ignoring the Buckley Rule.   By demanding the whole enchilada, the reasoning goes, they risk getting the same stale chips (aka Pelosi, Reid, etc.) instead of a half order.

Based on his own rule, Buckley backed Richard Nixon over Barry Goldwater.   This factoid alone should raise some interest among conservatives in refining the rule.  Nixon was a scurrilous, unprincipled politician with few redeeming qualities. He introduced such creepy tactics as the "Southern Strategy", looked askance at voter fraud, and left a Keynesian economic ruin in the making.  Oh, and that unfortunate office break in incident and subsequent fall out.  Nixon possessed few qualities of leadership and hatched much of what has proven unhealthy in American politics.  And, of course, Nixon's failings gave us arguably the worst president in modern history:  Jimmy Carter.

In the modern media age, the volatility of the electorate is high, labels are transitory, and confidence in "the system" has rarely been lower.  Therefore, it seems a good time to revisit the Buckley Rule.   An asterix on "conservative" should indicate that regardless of how a candidate might label themselves, they deserve zero support unless they have read, understood, support and practice the principles embodied in the (i) Constitution, (ii) the moral/ethical texts of modern civilization, and (iii) the works of Frederick Hayek.

Remember, the person who will lie for you, will lie to you.