Marble Composition

High Horeshit

In this issue of the Washington Post, "paleo-conservative" George Will attempts to revitalize the underpinnings of his beloved conservative movement. It's no wonder that he feels the need to offer this up after over six years of conservative policy in action: the whole project is a total failure.

Gaze upon this:

Conservatism embraces President Kennedy's exhortation to "Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country," and adds: You serve your country by embracing a spacious and expanding sphere of life for which your country is not responsible.

The last bit added is void of any meaning at all. Here he hijacks one of the most famous statements by a Democratic president and turns it into slurry. So, you serve your country for things you'll never be responsible for? Huh?

Here is the core of a conservative appeal, without dwelling on "social issues" that should be, as much as possible, left to "moral federalism" -- debates within the states.

They never are though. George would like these issues to be state issues during presidential election cycles, and they might be if the religious Right hadn't taken over the base of the Republican party. And there's the rub; the core mantle of conservatism can never fail. Not in George's eyes. It's just been implemented badly. Slice away the offensive parts, and it's beautiful.

On foreign policy, conservatism begins, and very nearly ends, by eschewing abroad the fatal conceit that has been liberalism's undoing domestically -- hubris about controlling what cannot, and should not, be controlled.

If we're to believe this last bit, we have to completely forget George W. Bush's doctrine of preventative war, and the administration's vision that we could control what couldn't controlled. To be fair, Mr. Will could be describing what he believes is the high-minded version of conservative philosophy, but to find any of it believable, we need to pretend George W. Bush and his movement never called themselves "conservatives". It's beyond ridiculous.

Digby has written the definitive core axiom at work here:

"'Conservative' is a magic word that applies to those who are in other conservatives' good graces. Until they aren't. At which point they are liberals."

Update: Greg Anrig over at TPM Cafe gives Will's article the full treatment, here.

posted by FuzzFinger @ 5/31/2007 08:43:00 PM