THE REPUBLICAN HOUR? – AT 9:06 A.M. ET:  Rarely has a party had the opportunity the GOP has now. If it cannot defeat Barack Obama in next year's election, it would be the equivalent of FDR failing to defeat Herbert Hoover in 1932.

The last time the party had such a chance handed to it on a silver platter was 1980.  It delivered.  Well, Ronald Reagan delivered.  There is no Reagan now.  Or is there?

I must say that, as I watched the debate from Tampa Monday night, I got the feeling that the Republicans have not yet found their candidate.  Romney?  Knowledgeable, but somehow not a guy who inspires.  Perry?  Fine man, but the suit is still a little too empty.  As virtually everyone has said since Monday night, he has a way to go.

I have long advocated that the Republicans skip a generation and look to its younger leaders.  Yes, yes, I know, they don't have that much experience.  But that's not an argument the Dems can use, since the man in the White House had about two minutes of real experience when he was sworn in.

Consider Marco Rubio, the new, dynamic Republican senator from Florida.  He has made another fine speech.  If you're looking for a new Reagan, here's the guy: 

While some Republicans have taken an anti-interventionist turn lately, Florida senator and rising GOP star Marco Rubio made the case today for a vigorous U.S. foreign policy that promotes freedom and human rights abroad.

Rubio began his speech at the Jesse Helms Center by citing Ronald Reagan and the Founding Fathers. "At the core of our strength are the 'self-evident' truths of the Declaration of Independence," he said. "These are not just our rights as Americans. These are the rights of all human beings."

But by the 1970s--"the era of détente, of defeat and of retreat"--the "idea of placing morality at the center of our dealings with other nations was derided by supposed sophisticates as unrealistic and uninformed," Rubio said. "But then Ronald Reagan took these words to heart and he made them the center of his foreign policy—a foreign policy that even his critics now admit was remarkably successful."

From this broad statement of principle, Rubio made a broad statement of policy. The United States doesn't have "any intention of using force to depose every despotic regime on the planet," he said. "But we must do what we can to champion the cause of freedom—not only with the power of our example but also with our money and our resources, our ingenuity and our diplomacy, and on rare occasion, when there is no good alternative and when our national interest is clearly at stake, our armed might."

Rubio argued that promoting freedom abroad is not merely the morally right thing to do, it will make us safer at home. "Without our commitment to the rights of man enunciated by our forefathers, what are we? Just another big, rich country. But when we champion our ideals, we gain moral authority—and we gain physical security," he said. "You see, we may not always agree with our fellow democracies, but seldom, if ever, do we fight them. The more functioning democracies there are—'functioning' being the important quality—the easier we can breathe."

COMMENT:  That is a statesman.  A young statesman, to be sure.  His gift is that he appeals to our moral core and can articulate his convictions better than anyone around today.

He says he won't run, and so he's now everyone's choice for vice president.  The problem is, he will overshadow anyone who gets the nomination. 

I don't believe people can be "drafted" to run, but I do think they can be persuaded.  I wish the persuasion of Rubio would begin.

September 14, 2011