Wild for West

From my latest American Spectator article:

Conservatives seeking a gleam of hope amid gloomy prospects for November are beginning to turn their eyes toward sunny Florida, where an Iraq war veteran is waging a David-and-Goliath battle for Congress.
Allen West, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who made headlines five years ago with his gunpoint interrogation of an Iraqi prisoner, is challenging first-term Democratic Rep. Ron Klein in Florida's 22nd District.
After the 2006 midterm meltdown that helped Klein defeat 13-year incumbent Clay Shaw, many Republicans -- including presidential candidate Sen. John McCain -- are campaigning as boring centrists.
West, however, is bringing a back-to-basics conservative message. He takes a strong stance against illegal immigration, favors drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and criticizes free-spending Washington ways.
"What you see happening is that the Republican Party has gotten away from its basic ideology," West says, adding that 2006 "was a bad year for Republicans because they started acting like Democrats.”

By all means, read the whole thing, and be sure to visit Col. West's Web site.

PREVIOUSLY:
6/16: Update: Col. West & FL22

6/15: Atlas interviews Col. Allen West
6/14: Video: Col. Allen West vs. CAIR
6/14: FL22: Col. Allen West vs. "Rookie of the Year"