Posted on 01/21/2005 2:01:42 PM PST by ambrose
Somehow I missed that.
"A Conservative President?"
NOPE!
He ain't wrong.
And this president is like no conservative I know.
I'm dearly hoping you are (wrong). We happen to be operating under a myriad of labels all claiming Conservativehood. Is Bush suggesting anything different from what MacArthur would have pursued if Truman hadn't reigned him in? Is Bush any less proud (and willing to demonstrate that pride) than TR? Any less determined to appoint conservative judges or any less specific in his identification of evil than Reagan? Any less adamant in his pursuit of free enterprise (the ownership society) and states' rights than Goldwater? And which of these big-C icons has suffered comparable attacks on his religious beliefs and rhetoric? How many hallmarks of Conservatism must one speech highlight?
I really don't understand the current "conservative" misgivings about this utterly logical, noble defense of liberty--from ambrose or from Peggy Noonan. What is the fear here?
My opinion on the matter is Bush is far closer to LBJ than reagan in terms of how he govrens and his core beliefs. Of course, many Neo-Cons started out as Anti Communist LBJ style Democrats.
I didn't hear that at all. What I got out of his speech is that people everywhere should be in charge of their own destiny, not the state. If that's not Conservative, I don't know what is.
No, the conservative defination would be to acknowlege that nations and societies can choose their own destiny, and to remain within the framework of the US constituion in terms of foreign and domestic policy.
By the 50s and 60s, Irving Kristol became an ardent Anti Communist. Too many of the plans, both foreign and domestic, from the Bush admin remind me of the LBJ admin in terms of being fore big govrenment and big spending. Too over reaching.
" By the 50s and 60s, Irving Kristol became an ardent Anti Communist"
Maybe his friends in the movement told him "Irv, pretend to be anti-communist and see if you can undermine their society and culture".
What exactly does it mean to be a Conservative? First of all, I can tell you all what it does NOT mean:
To passively wait behind sealed borders waiting for the enemy to build up enough strength to make their assaults catastrophic.
To irresponsibly rein in spending in a time of unprecedented national crisis, when millions of Muslims around the globe are chanting for our deaths and actively seeking means to achieve this goal.
To be willing to sing the praises of catchwords such as liberty and freedom without be willing to do the hard work of destroying hostile theocratic totalitarian states by exposing their dark underbellies to the light of the will of the people.
To build up the greatest military force the world has ever seen without having the will to employ it to break the back of these fascist regimes in their own backyards, so that our children don't have to fight them in THEIR backyards.
What Conservatism DOES mean is just that, to "conserve". It means to preserve that which is worth preserving, to protect that which is viewed as irreplaceable, NO MATTER WHAT THE COST. Fiscal conservatism is NOT a creed to spend the least amount of money; it IS a creed to not spend money IRRESPONSIBLY. In a time of crisis, we must step up to the plate and be willing to pay whatever price is necessary [in blood or in treasure] to preserve or freedom and liberty.
You're WRONG Peter Robinson!
A real conservative scares the pants off of you. You've become a neocon and didn't know it.
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