My colleague Philip Klein had an excellent column Thursday on why he is a “Trump skeptic” but “not a Never Trump absolutist.” I associate myself with almost the entirety of his thoughtful essay. But I must also emphasize the important distinction that someone still can be “Never Trump” but not an absolutist.

As Phil’s is just the latest (albeit one of the best) in a constant stream of pieces that take issue with (some of them belittling with fierce invective) some or all Never Trumpers, allow me to explain why I still welcome the label, and also what I mean by it. In doing so, I take strong issue with the sweeping generalizations and often outright calumny hurled at Never Trumpers in general even by usually thoughtful writers such as Victor Davis Hanson and my friend Mollie Hemingway.