Where Conservatism Stops and Liberalism Begins

By contemporary political standards, I am in every sense a liberal. Yet for some reason when I look back in American history for political role models, I find myself attracted by Hamilton rather than Jefferson, Clay rather than Jackson, Lincoln rather than Douglas (okay, that one's easy).

Perhaps it is because I am a nationalist, or that I am a believer in the importance of stability. But in the end I think it is that liberalism and conservatism at their best tend to converge. If we would preserve that which we cherish, then we must be willing to change. If we would achieve our loftiest ambitions, we must do so with an eye to the lessons of history or risk disaster.

What saddens me is that the Burkean tradition of conservatism, has (with a few exceptions) all but lapsed in this country. America has become an eagle flying on one wing.