On several occasions in this space we've written about how the Republican Party's patron saint, Ronald Reagan, might have a difficult time succeeding in the party that puts him on a pedestal in our current times.

Reagan cut and raised taxes in the 1980's as president. You don't hear too much about the latter, because it's so not part of the GOP's playbook on how to win and/or govern.

But just as Tea Party members show no signs of wanted to agree with Congressional Democrats on issues like raising the debt ceiling without serious spending cuts, party leaders need to emphasize that compromise isn't a dirty word.

Haley Barbour, the Missisissipi Governor who flirted with a presidential run earlier this year, knows this as well as anyone in high Republican circles. That's why he emphasized over the weekend that the GOP should strive to find consensus around a leader, and de-emphasize how ideologically conservative he or she is.

This article appears in Jun 2-8, 2011.