I’ve been following the political process very closely over the last several months as the caucuses and primaries loom for the selection of the Republican and Democratic nominees for President. I dislike partisan politics and am not particularly happy with how this country has been run on all fronts, but for better or for worse, I am a Republican. And I am a conservative — but I’m not mad at anybody about it, as Mike Huckabee would say.

Thus it is interesting to note the current battle in Iowa on the eve of the caucus that’s been raging between Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. For two people who are claiming to fulfill the same role — an authentic conservative who will uphold the values of family, faith, and freedom from an overbearing government or the attacks of foreign enemies — Romney and Huckabee couldn’t be more dissimilar. At the risk of alienating some of my readers, I want to point out my personal opinion that Romney has been waging a negative and disappointing campaign. In fact, his attacks on Huckabee in particular have been downright despicable, as Romney is hardly in a position to criticize anyone’s previous political record when his was chock full of distasteful actions from an authentic conservative viewpoint.

Romney has spent outrageous sums of money to convince the people of Iowa and the rest of the country that he is the man for the job. But, amazingly enough, money still won’t buy you a presidency, and many people aren’t falling for it. David Brooks’ op-ed for the New York Times provides a succinct and I think highly telling reason for Romney’s failure: people don’t often vote for CEO candidates who have focused-grouped and market-analyzed their way into a political position. They vote for people with true vision, prophetic insight, clarity of purpose, and a mantra that resonates at the deepest level of one’s soul. True leaders aren’t invented like a mass-produced product. Leaders are forged out of character, determination, and faith.

The Republican party, and the larger conservative movement, stands at a crossroads. On one side, you have a status-quo elite who is more than willing to pander to the power brokers. On the other side, you have someone who is not afraid to say what is unpopular, to stand for things that may be controversial, and to challenge the status-quo and admit that some things just aren’t working and need to be fixed the hard way.

That’s why I’m hoping that Mike Huckabee wins in Iowa. He’s not a perfect candidate, and I’m not entirely pleased with some of his previous actions as Governor of Arkansas. But he’s a good man with a good heart, and he’s run one hell of a campaign. I’d rather vote for a flawed man of flesh and bones with passion in his soul than a manufactured empty suit, and I think this country deserves someone of principles and convictions to take up residence in the White House come 2009.