Beck To The Future

Contra Horowitz, Pete Wehner insists that the ascendancy of Glenn Beck "should worry the conservative movement":

I say that because he seems to be more of a populist and libertarian than a conservative, more of a Perotista than a Reaganite. His interest in conspiracy theories is disquieting, as is his admiration for Ron Paul and his charges of American “imperialism.” (He is now talking about pulling troops out of Afghanistan, South Korea, Germany, and elsewhere.) Some of Beck’s statementsfor example, that President Obama has a “deep-seated hatred for white people”–are quite unfair and not good for the country. His argument that there is very little difference between the two parties is silly, and his contempt for parties in general is anti-Burkean (Burke himself was a great champion of political parties). And then there is his sometimes bizarre behavior, from tearing up to screaming at his callers. Beck seems to be a roiling mix of fear, resentment, and angerthe antithesis of Ronald Reagan.

My hunch is that he is a comet blazing across the media sky right nowand will soon flame out. Whether he does or not, he isn’t the face or disposition that should represent modern-day conservatism. At a time when we should aim for intellectual depth, for tough-minded and reasoned arguments, for good cheer and calm purpose, rather than erratic behavior, he is not the kind of figure conservatives should embrace or cheer on.

I agree, of course. But I do think that Beck deserves some kudos for putting defense on the table as an issue for small government conservatives. There is no way the US can return to limited government without abandoning its neo-imperial ambitions and its middle class entitlements. The Pentagon, as that limited government president Eisenhower understood, is as much a big government program as Medicare or Social Security. Limited government Americans are rightly skeptical of a government that insists on a massive investment of time, money and human beings in open-ended nation-building in a place where these is no nation and no credible government. 

I suspect Obama can appeal to these people if he frames withdrawal from Afghanistan in the Beck model: it cannot work, it has taken too long, it has cost too much, it has ended too many lives. Above all: we cannot afford it. There is no such thing as absolute security in a world like ours. We need to deleverage the neo-empire as urgently as we need to deleverage American debt.

And why on earth are US troops still in Germany? What dire threat to national security are they deterring?