Chief among them is the idea that individual liberty is a moral absolute and that a system of governance that enshrines individual liberty is morally and practically superior to all others. This is a very fundamental belief, deeply embedded in American political thought and public opinion. It is a principle, however, that does not necessarily have the same level of importance in modern European political systems, whose constitutions tend to place a greater emphasis on social harmony than on individual liberty. Baloney. The fundamental belief described here is hardly "deeply embedded in American political thought and public opinion." I'd love to see where in America the author finds such a thing.
This is why what is commonly called the "neo-conservative" political philosophy is really just a transparent fraud -- much of what is espoused by its modern proponents isn't very conservative at all.
A "big government conservative" is still a liberal, for all intents and purposes.
