> This is a great question. The way I see it, conservatives don't really
> stick to their philosophy; that is, the "small government" and civil
> liberties that they talk about all the time are fine as abstract
> principles, but they aren't really essential to their politics. What
> are essential is adherence to extreme nationalism and the desire for
> the death of everyone who is not them. There weren't many protests
> against surveillence and spending while Bush was popular; it only
> became an issue after he was unpopular and expendable, when it was
> easy to dog on him.
>
There are conservatives and then there are conservatives. Bush fils did a
lot for the neocons (moreso in his first term) and theocons (moreso in his
rhetoric) and less so for the paleocons and libertarians. It's not
hypocritical for one conservative to support expanded executive privilege
and another to oppose it, or for one to want it expanded in some respects
and reduced in others, et cetera.