Somewhere, Ross Perot is laughing.

In one of the odder ideas of the political week, Patrick Ruffini thinks the GOP's return should be effected by lots of congressional candidates rejecting the party label and running as independents while espousing exactly the same views they would have running as Republicans.

What makes it interesting is the underlying notion that moderates have no place in the GOP (a la New York's 23rd district special election) but can't be driven off fast enough to suit hardline right-wingers (the "non-squish" conservatives). So let the hard-liners flip the party a middle finger and go off and start a sort of non-party party.

That'll show 'em.