Republican Leadership

Instapundit turned me on to a discussion of John Shadegg's place in Republican Party internal politics:

Aside from beefing up the new leadership’s "reform" banner, Shadegg would serve as a valuable conservative temperature gauge. Who knows better how limited government conservatives will react to a piece of legislation than one of their own?

The whole article makes me sad. The Republicans are learning and getting back to where they should be. Still why did it take them so long to get concerned over the lack of small government conservatives and how did the party of Reagan get itself into this position in the first place.