the following is my take on the jack ryan issue:
to begin, i think that the republicans are lying. the rumors were of exactly what came out. the republicans knew this was there. the shock is bullshit. i think jack ryan told them everything, and the other republicans are simply claiming they were lied to in order to convince their base that they thought ryan was a much better christian.
still, the republican party actions do make sense and also explain what they are really all about. in the primary, they had a good candidate who might or might not be derailed by these issues coming out. if they did not, he had a chance. that does not mean they did not exist, or are or are not true. this issue simply shows the real connection between the republican party and the religious conservatives. first, they feel dependent on the religious conservative vote. (exactly why dems need to work to neutralize it) second, the party does not really care about the religious issues, or they would have either not supported him if they thought these files might be true, or they would still be defending him and claiming the files are untrue. the party is completely selfish and in it only to win. they now realize that these files taint ryan whether true or not, and they are not willing to stand with him against them. they are more afraid that the files on ryan could taint the party and, along with the trouble for bush, keep the base from coming out. this could mean further defeats in other races in illinois, especially with obama exciting the democratic base. thats all.