Evidence of the struggle between true conservatives and neocons in the GOP has never been more apparent than it is right now. Florida Governor Charlie Crist recently announced he would seek the U.S. Senate seat vacated by retiring Senator Mel Martinez. Christ, who advocates big government, supported Obama’s "stimulus", the TARP bailouts and routinely gets behind McCain and crew's progressive legislation, was immediately endorsed by the National Republican party.

Does this give true conservatives any confidence the GOP is really moving back to principled positions on which the party was founded, or does it appear to be business as usual for the Republicans?

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Personally, I don't see them as classic liberals. While the term neocon may be a loaded word, and defined a little differently depending on your political perspective, I see that term as being the best description of these individuals. This is the definition of the term I use..

A neo-conservative (abbreviated as neo-con or neocon) is part of a U.S. based political movement which grew out of a backlash toward the social liberation movements of the 1960s and 1970s. These liberals drifted toward conservatism: thus they are new (neo) conservatives. They favor an aggressive unilateral U.S. foreign policy and generally believe that elites protect democracy from mob rule.

Most of the representatives we have in Washington are actually progressives, on both sides of the aisle. Normally, when you hear politicians talk of "change" or "reform", you can chalk them up as progressives. The only exception to the rule is when the occasional conservative seeks to roll back some previous progressive policy, which usually ends in defeat and the conservative being labeled a kook (i.e. Ron Paul).

What we need are more real conservatives in public office, not more of these progressive neocons. They may be so firmly entrenched in the GOP, there is no getting them out but I am hopeful.