There is even now a subset of conservatives called "National Greatness Conservatives" who want to make government not necessarily bigger but leaner, tougher, more muscular and more determined.
It looks like a nice way of avoiding saying what one knows to be true because some might be offended.
If Rusher's right it looks like the political wars of past decades really are over, and debates today are about who can best administer things. He could well be right, though political tempers run so high now that the surface impression is quite different. If it's true that the really big battles have been decided for the time being, it's a healthy position for the country to be involved in.
Divide and conquer...but from within?