With all due respect, the Republican Party could probably do with a lot less of what was heard at the Iowa Freedom Summit Saturday.

On one hand, that might seem strange, considering that the Iowa Freedom Summit was all about getting America back to its "core principles of pro-growth economics, social conservatism, and a strong national defense," according to the event website.

What could be more Republican than that?

Combine that with the fact that a number of potential Republican presidential candidates appeared to see the event as the unofficial kickoff for the 2016 campaign, and it seemed a snapshot of the immediate future of American conservatism.

But then Donald Trump spoke.

He called Mitt Romney a "choker" for losing the 2012 presidential race to President Obama, and then said that Jeb Bush's brother former President George W. Bush was the man who gave America Mr. Obama in the first place.

Wow.

Democrats would call that a two-fer. In one fell swoop, Mr. Trump brutally exposed the potentially fatal weaknesses of the two Republicans who might well have broader appeal than any others on the presumptive Republican ticket (New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie possibly excluded).

Of course, this is what Trump does. The chances of him running for president are roughly equal to the chances that Earth will be overrun by Ewoks by Memorial Day. (In other words, not very likely.) He was there for microphone and the money shots of his legendary hair.

But his comments were just an inkling of the 18 months ahead.

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