GOP Tries to Negotiate Differences, Eliminate Divisions

But the GOP's conservative members, such as State Sen. Ken Cuccinelli II (R-Fairfax), reject the need for compromise. They say the party has to stand firm against higher taxes or risk losing the votes of its most ardent supporters.

"If we don't stand for something, then it's just a nice-guy contest," Cuccinelli said. "That's not a consistent path either to governance or to victory."

The debate, conducted in public speeches but also in hushed hallway conversations, is at times disjointed.

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling declared during a breakfast speech that "we have got to get along together again," a clear reference to resolving the split between House and Senate Republicans on taxes. But a few minutes earlier, Bolling had urged the assembled partisans not to compromise.

"We cannot be the majority party in Virginia by being the party of higher taxes," he roared. "We have to be the party of lower taxes."

Former Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore (R), who lost to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) last year, said in an interview, "We've got to unify as a party and move forward with an agenda." But he quickly added that "We cannot give up on [taxes]. We can't say it's okay to be like Democrats and raise taxes."

There was also a bit of division at the Advance over the choice of Gillespie to lead the party. A small group of conservative activists passed out bumper stickers that read "Say No to Mr. Ed" and had a picture of a horse's head inside a red circle with a slash through it.

When it came to the vote, however, the central committee chose Gillespie by acclamation.

Gillespie will now have to contend with Allen's loss to Webb last month, the second stunning defeat for Virginia Republicans, after Kilgore's failure last year. For the second time in a row, the Advance has become a haven of grousing and finger-pointing about how Republicans lost the big one.

Many activists and elected leaders privately blame Allen and his campaign for making serious gaffes and for failing to rectify those mistakes in time. But none were willing to say that publicly, in part because most predict that the senator will make a comeback, perhaps by running for governor in 2009.

Anna Lee, a Fairfax activist, dug out her old "Allen for Governor" buttons from the 1993 campaign and wore them at the Advance. One of the buttons said: "Susan Allen's Husband for Governor."

"He was one of the best governors we ever had," Lee said. "Webb didn't win. We lost."

But there was also a sense of resolve here to be aggressive in criticizing Democrats. Kevin Gentry, the master of ceremonies for Saturday's lunch, read an angry letter from a friend about Webb's conversation with President Bush last month.

"Now, they're waking up to the reality that they've replaced a Virginia gentleman who accomplished a great deal with someone who has been very ungentlemanly and who has not accomplished very much," Gentry said. "Virginians are already realizing what a whopper of a mistake they made this election."

And even as they try to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it, party leaders, local activists and elected officials say they are not willing to give up.

"We do not rest on our laurels and we most certainly do not wallow in our sorrows," said Republican Party Executive Director Shawn Smith.

Said activist Jim Wilson: "We're not picking over the bones, we're planning the attack."