Yellowstone National Park was devastated by fire in 1988. Visiting the park five years later, I saw phenomenal new growth. Turns out, certain species of pine trees needed fire to release seeds within their pine cones to create the next generation of trees. Returning again in 2006, we discovered the park's environment continues its evolutionary process.

What's this got to do with the recent election? The Republican Party got burned, big time. Why? Truth be told, it lost its direction, its nerve and its leadership. Constant slams by MSM and Democrats went unanswered. Their behavior became "Democrat lite". The base got frustrated, many stayed home.

As painful as the loss was, one expects a leader to emerge from the ashes. The base and others will become invigorated (especially after they experience the historic agenda of the Dems: across the board tax increases; delight in spending OPM (other people's money); appointment of more judges who always seem to find a way to negate the will of voters; milquetoast response to people who want all of us dead; etc.).

A fire can be a cleansing process - painful, but purifying. Most people recognize Republicans are not whining, moaning and complaining. They are discussing, assessing and strategizing. With a bit of good fortune, the phoenix of Republican leadership will rise from the ruin, stronger, focused, and again defining solutions (versus the guilt and defeatist mantras of Dems) for our great nation.