Virginity...Secondary or Technical?

Yesterday the New York Times ran a story  about the conservative quest for a suitable presidential candidate for 2008. The Republican slate certainly lacks the star power and energy that the Democratice list of hopefuls is generating. But the lack of a superstar isn't the only Republican problem. It seems that many conservatives just can't identify with or see in the current potential nominees one of their own. Whether it's a history of supporting tax increases, gay marriage, or abortion rights, all of the candidates seem to have political skeletons coming out of their closets that make them seem decidedly "liberal" in the eyes of some of the most prominent party faithful.

My favorite line in the story came from Grover Norquist, a famous conservative activist. He remarked about the possibility of unsuitable candidates regaining the trust of true conservatives:

Mr. Norquist said he remained open to any of the three candidates who spoke to the council or to Mr. Romney. He argued that with the right promises, any of the four could redeem themselves in the eyes of the conservative movement despite their past records, just as some high school students take abstinence pledges even after having had sex.

“It’s called secondary virginity,” Mr. Norquist said. “It is a big movement in high school and also available for politicians.”

But the question remains, what constitutes "virgnity" in this analogical sense of the word. I went to a religious college where people were convinced that you could do anything and everything as long as some body parts never crossed certain threshholds. This led to fascinating state which came to be known by some as "technical virginity". Technical virgins came as close as one can to having their cake and eating it too. Maybe some slick conservative political consultant will be as resourceful as some of the hormone driven religious undergrads I've known.