The Conservative Mind

“In general, it can probably be said that the conservative does not object to coercion and arbitrary power so long as it is used for what he regards as the right purposes. He believes that if government is in the hands of decent men, it ought not to be too much restricted by rigid rules. Since he is essentially opportunist and lacks principles, his main hope must be that the wise and good will rule—not merely by example, as we all must wish, but by authority given to them and enforced by them. Like the socialist, he is less concerned with the problem of how the powers of government should be limited than with that of who wields them; and, like the socialist, he regards himself as entitled to force the values he holds on other people.”—F.A. Hayek, “Why I Am Not a Conservative,” epilogue to The Constitution of Liberty

“'Well…, I'm just so proud of the way he handled 9/11—I mean, that was…amazing!' Dot Richardson-Pinto told me as we sat together near the podium. When I'd asked why she supported the President, she had had to search a moment for an answer, and not entirely because she couldn't understand how it could be that anyone wouldn't. She'd had to think for a moment, I came to realize, because her ardor had so much more to do with who he was than with what he did. And who he was could be summarized by those four giant words looming over the stage [strength, leadership, character, integrity].”—Mark Danner, “How Bush Really Won,” The New York Review of Books, January 13, 2005