The recent statements by Congressman Todd Akin in Missouri, and his hesitation about yielding his senatorial nomination to a Republican which would be much more like to defeat Claire McCaskill, highlight a problem which conservatives face all too often:  professional conservatives whose lives have been lived in Washington. Go back five years.  Senator Larry Craig of Idaho engaged in dubious behavior in an airport bathroom.  Craig had an undistinguished but conservative career in the Senate.  His scandal did not endanger a Republican Senate seat, but it did profoundly embarrass conservative Republicans who were already facing an uphill battle in 2008.  Senator Craig promised that he would resign from the Senate, which would allow a reliably conservative Republican to take his place at once and keep the issue of his indiscretion out of the election.  Then Craig changed his mind.  Why?  He was not going to be re-elected the following November...(Read Full Post)