In his book Power Plays, Morris presents Bill Clinton as a model of triangulation.  Running for president in 1992, Clinton stole many of the most popular positions long held by Republicans and claimed them for his own agenda.  He presented himself as pro-defense and anti-crime, and promised an economic policy that would cut the deficit, increase federal spending for popular programs, and save taxpayer's money.  The fact that many of these goals seemed incompatible was of little interest to the voting public.  Clinton promised to "end welfare as we know it," and ran as a stalwart defender of the death penalty. 

Morris functioned as a close advisor to Bill Clinton through the 1996 presidential election.  It all fell apart on the third day of the convention itself.  Reporters revealed that Morris had been involved with a Washington prostitute, and had actually engaged in telephone conversations with the President of the United States with a prostitute in the room.

Needless to say, Dick Morris has never been a poster boy for the Christian right.  His policy of triangulation is repulsive to those who operate out of political conviction rather than mere calculation.  Given his infinitely flexible political philosophy, Morris can work on either side of any political campaign, apparently without any crisis of conscience. 

Added to this, his personal involvement in a sex scandal left him, to say the very least, in a morally compromised situation.  But never count Dick Morris out of the political equation--he was back on the airwaves offering political advice in short order.

In essence, Dick Morris is a modern day Machiavelli, always ready to offer worldly advice to the powers that be.  He may be the perfect political consultant for the postmodern age.

Machiavelli, of course, was the philosopher-advisor to the Medici family of medieval Florence.  In The Prince, Machiavelli offered his distilled political advice to his noble patrons.  Taking the infamous Caesar Borgia as his model, Machiavelli advised the Medicis to rule with an iron hand in a velvet glove.  When times call for a fox—be a fox.  When the times demand a lion—be a lion.

There was nothing noble about Machiavelli's advice, and there is nothing noble in Dick Morris's analysis.  When he calls upon the Republican Party to "escape from the embrace of the pro-lifers" and nominate candidates like Rudy Giuliani and Arnold Schwarzenegger, he is offering a poisonous recipe.

Any political party that would forfeit its convictions on matters so important as abortion, marriage, and homosexuality in order to curry favor may find that it is traded short-term gain for long-term disaster.  The Christian right may embarrass the cultural elites, but the moral convictions of conservative Christians are not up for compromise.  Following Dick Morris's advice may cause the Republican Party to win elections, only to discover that it has lost its soul.