"It's a wonderful country, this America. It's called a secret ballot," former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge said Thursday -- as he refused to pledge his support to former Congressman Pat Toomey over recent Republican-turned-Democratic incumbent Arlen Specter for his homestate's 2010 Senate race.

Ridge's comment came in response to this question posed by MSNBC's Chris Matthews: "If you had to vote between Toomey, the conservative Republican, or Specter, the ex-Republican, who would you vote for?"

With his refusal, Tom Ridge made clear that he really is through with electoral politics -- because he'll never, ever earn the support of conservative Republicans again.

Sadly, I wish I could say Ridge's refusal to back Toomey is inexplicable.

But it's not.

With speculation ramping up that former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge may decide within the next few weeks to enter the primary for the GOP Senate nomination -- and the right to take on party-switching Arlen Specter -- you can expect conservative supporters of former Rep. Pat Toomey will begin working to frame the debate as conservative Toomey vs. liberal Ridge.

The first shots have been fired: National Review's David Freddoso takes a quick look at Ridge's record as a congressman (1983-95), and finds it worrisome on a number of fronts to conservatives:

While in Congress, writes Freddoso, Ridge "voted to expand welfare eligibility (1984), to fund abortions with public money, and in favor of the fairness doctrine (in 1987)."

Contrary to the conventional wisdom -- and the hopes of former Congressman Pat Toomey -- the defection of Arlen Specter to the Democratic Party last week wasn't the end of the Republican primary contest in Pennsylvania.

In fact, it was only the beginning.

A new poll out today shows why -- and it shows that, more than anything else, what Toomey needs is another poll.