That's Saul, Folks

Michigan GOP chair Saul Anuzis was chosen by organizers here to speak following John McCain in part because they wanted to remind McCain and his supporters of the energy of the conservative movement., Anuzis is gracious, but note the implicit warning in his remarks:

I think that when historians look back on this election campaign, they may pinpoint one week last September as a turning point. That was the week John McCain visited Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina on his “No Surrender Tour.” What a great message. No backing down. No matter the odds. No matter the viciousness of the enemy. No matter the efforts of some in Washington to legislate defeat.

And I give Senator McCain credit – this is a man who risked his life for our country in Vietnam and put his political life on the line over Iraq and the War on Terror. This is a man who says what he believes and believes what he says and will not back down.

For him, surrender is not an option.

This fall, that’s the message we need to take to the American people.

No surrender to our enemies!
No surrender to defending the dignity of every human life!
No surrender on securing the border!
No surrender on conservative judges!
No surrender on slashing pork-barrel spending!
And no surrender on cutting taxes.

To the candidates who run with this message and this philosophy, I make this promise from the conservative grass roots of the Republican Party: “We’ve got your back.”

Let me cut right to the chase. Electing the next Republican president won’t be simply about moving moderates into the Republican column. It will be about moving conservatives of every stripe – or no stripe at all – to vote for our nominee.