"Secondary virginity" advocated for GOP politicos.

The New York Times reported on February 25 that the conservative Council on National Policy (CNP) met on Amelia Island, Florida, earlier in the month to determine if there would be any Republican candidate for president of the United States whom they could rally around. Among the attendees mentioned at the closed-door meeting were Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, Jerry Falwell of Liberty University, and Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform. According to the Times, many of the leaders are less than enthusiastic with the swollen Republican field and are especially hostile toward leading candidates John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, and Mitt Romney, all of whom have very liberal-left records on moral issues, such as abortion and homosexuality. However, Mr. Norquist was quoted as saying he "remained open" to supporting their candidacies. Norquist argued that if they made "the right promises," the politicians "could redeem themselves in the eyes of the conservative movement despite their past records, just as some high school students take abstinence pledges even after having had sex."

"It's called secondary virginity," Norquist told the Times. "It is a big movement in high school and also available for politicians." However tempting it may be to compare unfaithful politicians with hormonally challenged adolescents, it bears noting that the politicians in question are well beyond "secondary" virginity.