Hugh Hewitt : Congressman Kirk and GOP - Townhall.com

Whether Kirk remains in the race or not, the message from the episode is clear: The GOP base will not quickly support any candidate who supports the massive tax hikes required by the Obama-Pelosi-Waxman bill. There is widespread agreement that concern over climate change cannot justify a crippling of the American economy or confiscatory taxes on all energy use. Rhetoric about the environment, in other words, cannot substitute for a party-defining commitment to limited government and lower taxes. Republicans who bolt on this issue will not be easily forgiven and their decision not quickly forgotten. This isn't a "big tent" issue in other words. The Obama-Pelosi-Waxman bill is not a "free vote" because it is so awful in ints impact and implications.