"Mr. Bush has neglected the critical task - carried out by Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan, and Newt Gingrich - of advancing a public argument that connects his otherwise disparate policy decisions to a broader philosophical framework. He has failed to articulate the philosophical argument for limited government that once defined the Republican Party. At the same time he has failed to win broad acceptance for his alternative, so-called compassionate conservatism. To a large extent, he has abandoned the systematic promotion of public philosophy altogether," - Andrew Busch, rephrasing Bill Buckley's critique.
An attempt at reformulating conservatism as a philosophy of limited government is the core of my forthcoming book, "The Conservative Soul," which can now be pre-ordered on Amazon.com.