Bush Versus Principled Conservatism

George W. Bush has been vilified by the Left, but his harshest critics should be on the Right. One of the most momentous consequences of the Bush presidency is the destruction of the philosophical core of modern conservatism.
Like most political movements, American conservatism incorporated various strains of thought, some at odds with one another. But the movement had a fundamentally anti-statist orientation. Central was a commitment to individual liberty, limited government, and constitutional republicanism.
None of these principles characterize today's conservative movement and Republican Party, which sells itself as "conservative." The president and his followers denigrate personal freedom, support expanded state power, dismiss constitutional limits, and advance global intervention.