A dark side to the Huckabee surge?

I hope that Article 6 Blog is wrong, but reading the New York Times coverage on Huckabee today really leads me to doubt it.

If so, then I think conservatism needs to head to the ash heap of history.

If the New York Times is to be believed (and a fair degree of salt is required with that outlet at times), it seems that Huckabee's people are playing the Mormon card. Now, is it true? I don't know, although a Huckabee supporter did go after Sam Brownback for being Catholic.

I don't hold with National Review's brand of conservatism much any more. But Kathryn Jean Lopez is dead on target in this column:

If you are not going to support Republican Mitt Romney for president because you don’t think he is the guy to win the war on terror, that is your call. If you are pro-life and you do not buy his abortion conversion story, it’s a free country. But if you are not going to support Mitt Romney for president because he is Mormon, or because you think he will not be elected president because he is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, say your prayers for America.

I'll be watching very closely, because the questions that emerge are going to be very basic. I'm already uncomfortable with the fact that some on the right seem to view disagreement with them on immigration as "treason", or a difference of strategy s being a sign that I'm a "party hack" who "sold my soul". Now, they seem to think that playing the religion card is acceptable conduct.

It's going to take one hell of a reason for me to work for their political empowerment.