APPLAUSE BUT NOT DEVOTION:

House Republican Whip Roy Blunt spoke this afternoon to an audience at the Heritage Foundation in an address entitled ‘Laying the Groundwork for a Revolution.’ Blunt set forth the principles that he believes must guide Republican efforts to regain a majority on the Hill. In the main, Blunt reaffirmed the ideas that won Ronald Reagan the presidency and which earned a GOP majority in Congress starting in 1994. . . .

Blunt said lots of things to remind fiscal conservatives and security hawks why they need Republicans in leadership. But to the extent that bloggers represent the GOP base–admittedly, a somewhat iffy proposition–he probably won’t get a lot of love. And even if he did, would it make a difference in 2008?

Well, it might. But mostly this is news that the GOP leadership is starting to recognize the problem. The key will be what it does over the next year or so, not what its leaders say.