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Noonan, Me, and Conservatism
ByA reader writes:
The problem with the conservative "revolt" over immigration and the discomfort it is causing with the base and their mouthpieces (along with the broader reconsideration of Bush this seems to have provoked) is that all this is coming far, far too late.
Am I really supposed to take Peggy Noonan, or Glenn Reynolds, or, basically, anyone at NRO seriously when they become indignant at Bush now? All they have done (in varying degrees, of course) is carry water for this man for the last six years. They stood by him as he declared "Mission Accomplished," they stood by him as he authorized torture, they stood by him as he massively expanded government and destroyed any vestiges of fiscal sanity that were handed on to him. Some complained here and there, and some more than others. Noonan, in particular, seemed genuinely put off by his second inaugural address. But, to cite another example, can I really view David Frum's current protestations as credible after reading "The Right Man"? After glorifying Bush, after hailing him as the man Providence bequeathed to us, after blindly marching behind him into war, now they act indignant?
When critiques were made, they were at the margins. In a fundamental way, they gave this man their support. These people must take us for idiots. Idiots with no memories. Some, (again) like Noonan, seem to be a bit more honest. Some, like you, saw the light early and tried to take advantage of the one real opportunity we had, as a nation, to stop this man -- the election of 2004. But the rest? Give me a break. They just aren't serious. They never were serious. And their belated "break" with Bush tells me that they don't think I, their reader, am serious. The game's up. I'm a conservative. But now, I read Matt Yglesias, Ezra Klein, Ross, and a few others (like your blog). That is, the honest left and what's left of the honest right. Now, when I go to NRO, its only to see what the crazies are up to, a duty of sorts as a citizen. To drain the swamp, it helps to know what's in it.
