Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Re: Rove the Conservative   [Rich Lowry]

Jonah, you should read that "done better" line in the context of this:

More often than not, however, conservatives have ended up allied with Rove in intra-Republican debates. The leading Republican strategists of the 1990s accepted a liberal hegemony and moved cautiously within it. (Witness the 1992 and 1996 presidential campaigns, in which Republican candidates acted as though gun owners and religious conservatives were liabilities.) Rove did not shy from a fight, and started a few.

Is there some other consultant who would have been more conservative in that slot? It's hard to think who it would have been. Also, I think you, in turn, are too tough on Rove by rapping him for departures from conservative principle, but then at the same time hitting him for not being more practical and pulling the plug on Social Security reform.

08/14 04:31 PMShare