Are the post-Bush Republicans becoming the anti-Communist party?

Two interesting events are giving hope to the anti-Communist community that it may finally find a political home, in this case, with the Republicans - after President Bush leaves office. Of course, the plural of anecdote is not data, but what we've seen is certainly encouraging.

The first comes from One Free Korea, and it deals with the Republican reaction to the Administration's abysmal policy on North Korea. Suffice to say, the GOP Congressmen are not happy - and neither is John McCain. So far, McCain has kept his objections to press releases, and couched them as if-then statements, but given that the Stalinists are hell-bent on triggering those conditions (BBC and CNN), this could very well become McCain's most dramatic departure from President Bush.

The other, and easily more definitive, break came from Virginia Congressman Frank Wolf on the 2008 Olympics (Bearing Drift):

When President Bush expressed concern that boycotting the games would offend the Chinese, Wolf responded sharply. He called on the President to express the moral courage that Reagan did in speaking out against communism.

Wolf said that if Bush attended the games “it will be an affront to the Catholic bishops, protestant pastors” and others who have been persecuted and murdered under the PRC.

It's not like the Communists have even been subtle in their attempts to silence any discordant voices in preparation for the Games (Boycott 2008, Epoch Times, and the Washington Post); they've even resorted to the usual "terrorist" line on East Turkestan (BBC and CNN). Nor has any of this gone unnoticed by the rest of the world (Boycott 2008).

However, here in the United States, the leadership of the Republican and Democratic parties have been drinking the "engagement" Kool-Aid for some time. It just may be the continuing unpopularity of President Bush (which I would say is only partially justified), has led his own party to consider moving in a different direction on everything, including "engagement." This could have immediate and surprising dividends here at home - especially in places where Democratic politicians seem overly eager to maintain "engagement" long beyond the point where it mutates into obsequiousness (Epoch Times).

I don't want to read too much into this. I still do not know which political party will seize the anti-Communist mantle, but it looks more likely today that elements in the Republican Party will at least try to seize it - and that is a very good thing.