The fight between Evangelicals and libertarians in the GOP has made its way into the lead of a front-page NYT story: “Tax-cutters are calling evangelicals bullies.”

That would be Dick Armey, in Chapter 4 of EItheR, calling Dr. James Dobson a bully and referring to his “gang of thugs.”

As Rich Lowry is quoted in the article as saying, what’s odd about the recriminations going on right now is that they are, as he put it, “pre-criminations.” The GOP hasn’t even lost the 2006 midterms yet (though, the polls look universally terrible), and we’re already setting up the circular firing squad.

Now, to be frank, I’m all for the circular firing squad. The more the party fights, the smarter I look. So, lock and load, folks.

But, to be honest, I didn’t expect the meltdown necessarily to happen this year. I’m not surprised by it, exactly. Both of the party’s major wings (western/libertarian and southern/Evangelical) have more than enough reason to be miffed at the GOP. But my real focus is on 2008 — because that’s when we, as a party, get to make some actual choices. It would be emotionally satisfying (and, I think, substantively productive) for the Republicans to lose Congress this year. The real direction of the party, however, will be set with our next nominee. Do we go with a Religious Right panderer, like Mitt Romney, or with someone who can move the party forward, like Rudy Giuliani or [swallowing hard] John McCain?

That’s where the rubber will meet the road. The aftermath of 2006, though, will shape that road. And so far it’s looking — to carry the road metaphor just one step further — like that road will be cratered like the road to the Baghdad airport come November 8.

Road. Just thought I’d get that word in one more time.