By VictorM:

For the last decade or so we have seen the Republican party and its followers do anything to win. It seems that they first find out what their candidates are for and that's what they're for.

Take the current candidacy of Rudy Giuliani. This Washington Post article praises the former mayors political survival:

Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani has defied political gravity. At odds with the majority of his party on abortion, guns and gays, he has nonetheless led in national polls all year.

Some may want to give credit to the Giuliani for being high on the polls, but his post 9/11 popularity, name recognition, and more 9/11 recognition, made him seem a formidable force against the Democrats in 2008, and voila, as such his positions on the issues that have been the bread and better of Republican politics seemed to no longer matter.

Rudy is already in decline from those earlier days but it wasn't his position on the issues that have produced that result. In fact, despite switching many positions on the issues to accommodate the loonier side of the party, his numbers are still declining. Why? Because in head-to-head matches Rudy gets beaten by any of the three major Democrats. So, the nutty base is looking for another possible winner and they will change their beliefs to agree with whomever they think that person his (Huckabee this week).