Michael Kinsley on the current definition of "compassionate conservatism."
One of my right-wing friends has an interesting take on all this proposed spending, deficits and enlargement of government. He thinks it's all a smokescreen; that Bush is saying what Bush has to say to get re-elected and to have long enough coat-tails to keep Democrats from recapturing either the House or the Senate. Then, once he's got his four more years, Bush and Congress will simply kill all the expensive programs and enact everything on the Conserative Wish List. In other words, "Let's vote for Bush because in our hearts, we know he won't do what he's currently promising." It's an interesting argument…one we'll probably hear from his most fervent supporters as a reason to vote for him, and from his more fervent detractors as a reason not to.