For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Peggy Noonan takes on Huckabee -- again:

But there are two problems. One is that while the presidency, as an office, can actually make real changes in the areas of economic and foreign policy, the federal government has a limited ability to change the culture of America. That is something conservatives used to know.

Second, I'm sorry to say it is my sense that Mr. Huckabee is not so much leading a movement as riding a wave. One senses he brilliantly discerned and pursued an underserved part of the voting demographic, and went for it. Clever fellow. To me, the tipoff was "Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?"

Peggy Noonan's instinct -- and we share it -- is that Huckabee is appealing to Evangelicals' feelings that American culture has lost its way, and that neither party's establishment takes Evangelicals seriously. They're right. But Noonan's bigger argument is that Evangelical concerns are not synonomous with the Republican Party, or even with conservatism.

Noonan and other pundits, including George Will, have begun to notice that change is afoot. The caution and skepticism that once marked the conservative movement has been overcome by the reckless certitude of the Evangelicals. The GOP may win elections, but they've lost their soul.

Perhaps the GOP talking heads will give Andrew Sullivan another hearing.