Best diagnosis I’ve seen of what went wrong with American conservatism.

Goodbye to All That

Money graf:

“Defining Victory” describes the post-9/11 world in terms that have since become familiar. First, it insists on a war that has no definite enemy and no foreseeable end. Short of one-world despotism or universal brotherhood, the U.S. cannot literally defeat “all those who mean to do our people harm.”

Contrary to what some think, I regard political parties and various ideologies as useful tools for enacting what bits of Catholic social teaching can be enacted. I feel no "party loyalty" as I don't for a second believe parties feel any loyalty to me or anyone else not useful to them. Further, I don't believe in ideology. I believe in prudence. Ideology has the nasty habit of blinding people to reality in favor of what their ideology tells them is real. I think Catholic teaching, which (after all) comes from God, who knows what's going on, is a far safer guide to reality than the ideology of men. And Catholic teaching insists on prudence–on keeping your eyes open and seeing what *is so*, rather than on slogging along and sticking with the ideology even when it is manifestly crazy.

That, in essence, is why the Right and I have moved apart. I stayed with Catholic teaching. The right, of its own free will, declared itself an "ideology" and then proceeded to be guided by that ideology instead of paying attention to common sense and prudence. (Not to mention, justice, fortitude, and temperance).

Hopefully, they will get over their infatuation with the crazies who have decided that Big Government Conservatism–a sort of Great Society with Guns–can bring about an End to Evil via Endless War for Endless Peace. Till then, I will criticize them as I criticise the equally crazy statists of the Left for their various assaults on human dignity and common sense.

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