Update: With E.J Dionne's article "The End of the Right" having appeared today (see realclearpolitics.com), I believe the posting below must be given greater credence. Dionne is right in noting that something is wrong--I think I have the right diagnosis and the best potential prescription.

Out of the giant vacuum of sound emanating from many of today's leading conservatives billows one greater than all others: Where are the charismatic leaders of the conservative movement?

While dealing with the public persona of politicians may seem superficial, it is surely not unimportant. President Bush serves as a good case in point: Good policy is only capitalized upon when it is accompanied by good PR. Now, is it just me, or did the case for war in Iraq seem a lot simpler than it sounded coming from the White House? President Bush spoke with unmistakable conviction and even had a few clever sound bites when speaking of the current war, yet public support is waning.

Another example: Social Security in the coming years will buckle beneath the weight of a dependent elderly class that cannot be supported by a smaller working class. This is a crisis! The incredible strain and burden caused by this program on the U.S. economy would be devastating. Efforts by conservatives to remedy this problem have fallen on deaf ears, however. The talk of personal savings accounts has been about as effective as Barry Bonds' steroid defense.

You see, friends, it is easy for conservatives to create scapegoats to explain away their inability to cast any sort of vision that resonates with the American public. Perhaps the most common is the liberally-biased network and cable news networks. "Our brainy policies simply do not have the needed mouthpieces in the media." What a copout! Did conservative icon Ronald Reagan have friendly faces in the media? Very few at best. In addition, the liberal monopoly has largely been broken, thanks to the work of Fox News and the rise of the blogosphere.

No--the problem is not outside of our circles, but within. The problem is found in a movement bereft of effective communicators. At the time being, we have brilliant politicians and superb workers at the grassroots level. This has enabled the movement to stay afloat. At some point, however, these two must be consolidated by the work of those belonging to that rare breed of charismatic politicians.

It was once said by a man who interviewed Reagan: "There will never be another one like him in our lifetime." While his sentiment is certainly appreciated by many-a-conservative, its implications would prove a death knell for conservatism in our lifetime as well. The political realm cries for another like Reagan, but while his conviction may be mirrored by our current President; his candor by a certain Senator from Arizona; his courage by a former mayor of New York--there is currently no one to fill his shoes as a grand vision-caster who will ignite the imaginations of the current generation.

The question I pose to those of you in the blogosphere who might read this post: Will one of you unmask and enjoin this great endeavor? If so, remove the online facade and stand!