The New York Times' Ross Douthat is often wise, sometimes foolish, like most of us who write conservative opinion. Today he pens some very decent observations about the GOP race's three front runners: Trump, Cruz, and Rubio.
Douthat believes they represent three distinct policy packages. Rubio is W-lite, Cruz is more true conservative, and Trump most closely resembles the nationalists of Europe, like Le Pen in France or Farange in the UK.
My shorthand descriptions don't do justice to Douthat's analysis. I think he captures something of the real essence of each and, as he notes, there are things to like in each package.
What is unique about Douthat's column is his recognition that Trump's mish-mash of positions does in fact have analogs in Europe among its Euroskeptics and nationalists. I believe him first with this observation which feels, at least at first blush, reasonably accurate.
Interestingly, Russia's Putin has indicated some admiration for Trump, which suggests he senses a kindred nationalistic spirit. This reported by AFP via Yahoo News.
