NRO has an editorial up excoriating Bob Barr for changing his views on war, civil liberties, and drugs. But after two paragraphs of hitting Barr for inconsistency, the Lowry-Lopez editorial combine assures us, “We don’t begrudge anyone the right to change their view.” They certainly didn’t begrudge Mitt Romney his reversals on abortion, gay marriage, and gun control. But Romney wasn’t a potential third-party spoiler. “In a close presidential race, every vote is important,” NRO avers, even though “It will probably be Barr’s fate to be ignored.”

Got it? Barr is irrelevant, which is why NRO puts up an editorial attacking him for changing his mind, even though of course the magnanimous editors have nothing against a little flip-flopping. Hey, don’t think about it — just vote McCain.