Unpatriotic Conservatives

National Review Online ^ | 4/7/03 (advance) | David Frum

[Chancellor Palpatine]

"I respect and admire the French, who have been a far greater nation than we shall ever be, that is, if greatness means anything loftier than money and bombs."
— THOMAS FLEMING, "HARD RIGHT," MARCH 13, 2003

rom the very beginning of the War on Terror, there has been dissent, and as the war has proceeded to Iraq, the dissent has grown more radical and more vociferous. Perhaps that was to be expected. But here is what never could have been: Some of the leading figures in this antiwar movement call themselves "conservatives."

These conservatives are relatively few in number, but their ambitions are large. They aspire to reinvent conservative ideology: to junk the 50-year-old conservative commitment to defend American interests and values throughout the world — the commitment that inspired the founding of this magazine — in favor of a fearful policy of ignoring threats and appeasing enemies.

And they are exerting influence. When Richard Perle appeared on Meet the Press on February 23 of this year, Tim Russert asked him, "Can you assure American viewers . . . that we're in this situation against Saddam Hussein and his removal for American security interests? And what would be the link in terms of Israel?" Perle rebutted the allegation. But what a grand victory for the antiwar conservatives that Russert felt he had to air it.

[Sangamon Kid]

We are the Hegemon. We can Do anything we damned well please.

That's about as clear and concise of a description of a neo-con as I've ever seen. Thanks for being honest about it.

[Protagoras]

What precisely is your point?

[Joe Hadenuf]

LOL! Articles and comments like some of these here, are at least humorous...

[sinkspur]

There is no reason to even argue with someone who would say that Pat Buchanon is "Anti-American".

You're right. It needs to be more nuanced than that.

Pat is Pro-white-European-American, as long as they're pumping out babies.

[Mo1]

David Frum has done America and the conservative movement a great service with this expose.

You bet, thanks for the ping

[steve-b]

As old-line, traditionalist Catholics, they share the Islamic sense that the West is decadent and no longer deserves Divine protection.

This is one of the reasons I get impatient with the blue-nose crowd -- they not only oppose America's foundation of individual liberty in theory, they give aid and comfort to the savages who are trying to destroy it in practice.

[Sangamon Kid]

You don't like the guy's opinions? Fine with me. Go to the source and read it yourself. LINK

It's Empire building.

[YoungKentuckyConservative]

They aren't conservatives. They're the same "wolves" in "sheep" clothing that took over the highest ranks of the Democratic Party and the United Nations. Dare I say it? It's called COMMUNISM, and it didn't die when Moscow fell.

[William McKinley]

For your perusal.

[Cable225]

They began by hating the neoconservatives. They came to hate their party and this president. They have finished by hating their country.

David Frum has done America and the conservative movement a great service with this expose.

Couldn't have said that better myself.

[Alberta's Child]

How can Pat Buchanan possibly be an anti-Semite when one of his relatives died in a concentration camp?

His uncle Wolfgang fell from the guard tower at Dachau.

(sorry, folks -- I just couldn't resist that one.)

[NeoCaveman]

It's Empire building.

When we start adding stars to the flag then I will consider the thought that this is empire building. Seeing as Kuwait never became the 51st state, I think that hypothesis, that we are empire building, is bologna.

[Steve_Seattle]

"Is it bad that the founding fathers distrusted standing armies and entangling alliances?"

I was just summarizing what I think are the main ideas of the Buchanan faction; I wasn't commenting one way or the other on whether I agreed with them.

[sinkspur]

Uh oh, this article includes a reference to the sinister VDare.com, which opposes affirmative action, illegal immigration, and bilingual education. Doesn't reference to VDare violate Free Republic posting policies? Somebody tell Jim!

Jim opposes VDare.com because it is crawling with Holocaust Deniers and Aryan Nation-types.

[Sangamon Kid]

...I think that hypothesis, that we are empire building, is bologna.

Then you aren't a very good neo-con, are you? You couldn't possibly be uninformed about what influences the policy making at the highest levels in the Bush administration, now could you?

[discostu]

Oh you guys are so cute. How about you actually address my counter point rather than stamp your feet and insist your right. If permanent military bases are the tool for controlling a nation and its neighbors then how did the French and Germans, who've had permanent American military bases in their country longer than almost anybody but America, dare to resist us? That's the point you're avoiding.

[Joe Hadenuf]

When we start adding stars to the flag then I will consider the thought that this is empire building. Seeing as Kuwait never became the 51st state, I think that hypothesis, that we are empire building, is bologna.

Would you really expect them to do that? I think not. Given the fact that there are many who now believe that it's not elected people in DC that are pulling the strings, as much as the global corporations, who, I might add are very good a hiding assets...

[NeoCaveman]

Then you aren't a very good neo-con, are you? You couldn't possibly be uninformed about what influences the policy making at the highest levels in the Bush administration, now could you?

I'm a bad neocon, I missed my fax this week from Ariel Sharon, as head of the scary Joos we do as he says.

[Sangamon Kid]

What we have here is a bunch of UNINFORMED neo-con foot soldiers. You guys need to get with the program! Dubya is going places and doing things his daddy never dreamed of.