false 245745 3 <p> what does it mean to be a conservative anymore? </p> <p> With the Iraq war, the rise of Christian fundamentalism, exploding government spending, soaring debt, insecure borders, and an executive branch with greater and greater power, Republicans and conservatives are debating this question with more and more urgency. </p> <p> The contradictions keep mounting. Today's conservatives support the idea of limited government, but they have increased government's size, power, and reach to new heights. They believe in balanced budgets, but they have boosted government spending, debt, and pork to record levels. They believe in individual liberty and the rule of law, but they have condoned torture, ignored laws passed by Congress, and been indicted for bribery. They have substituted religion for politics, and damaged both. </p> <p> In <i>The Conservative Soul</i>, Andrew Sullivan, one of the nation's leading political commentators, makes an impassioned call to rescue conservatism from the excesses of the Republican far right, which risks making the GOP the first fundamentally religious party in American history. Through an incisive look at the rise of Western fundamentalism, Sullivan argues that conservatives cannot in good conscience keep supporting a party that believes in its own God-given mission to change people's souls, instead of protecting their liberties. He carefully charts the arguments of the new conservatism, showing why they cannot work in today's America, why they fail the test of logic and pragmatism, and why they betray the conservative tradition from Edmund Burke to Ronald Reagan. </p> <p> In this bold and powerful book, Andrew Sullivan criticizes our government for acting too often, too quickly, and too expensively. He champions a political philosophy based on skepticism and reason, rather than certainty and fundamentalism. He defends a Christianity that is sincere but not intolerant, and a politics that respects religion by keeping its distance. And he makes a provocative, heartfelt case for a revived conservatism at peace with the modern world, dedicated to restraining government and empowering individuals to live rich and fulfilling lives. </p> 238101 10 10 2006 The Conservative Soul: How We Lost It, How to Get It Back total:113|5:22|4:49|3:37|2:5|1:0| 113 427 201 30 5 1 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue Oct 23 12:37:51 -0700 2007 Tue Oct 23 22:42:34 -0700 2007 more...]]> 0 0 false false Fri Oct 23 15:44:20 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 23 15:53:43 -0700 2009
I love the opening p...more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Sep 03 18:34:45 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 03 18:37:05 -0700 2009
But I enjoyed the time I spent with his bo...more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Oct 18 16:44:39 -0700 2008 Sat Oct 18 16:44:48 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Nov 27 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 29 11:48:21 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 29 11:52:18 -0800 2008 1 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Dec 03 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 19 21:05:56 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 04 06:17:49 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Nov 13 11:21:29 -0800 2008 Mon Apr 13 13:04:46 -0700 2009
Having be...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jul 21 17:51:33 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 21 17:56:41 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jul 21 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 23 11:51:05 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 27 14:31:26 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Oct 26 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Sep 06 20:06:26 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 26 18:42:39 -0700 2008
Surprisingly, this book is as much about...more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Nov 20 06:37:01 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 01 04:07:37 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Sep 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Jan 03 21:08:55 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 03 21:10:07 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Fri Nov 28 05:40:34 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 10 18:01:07 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 28 05:40:34 -0800 2008 The Conservative Soul a fascinating book that explains the differences between conservatism from fundamentalism. Though he is a conservative, he is critical of modern day 'conservatives' that support big spending, loss of personal liberty, and e...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Apr 25 18:24:40 -0700 2007 Wed Apr 25 18:32:22 -0700 2007
Never thought of myself as a conservative, emphatically not during 90's and onward as that term grew to mean...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Sep 15 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Nov 16 12:42:01 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 16 12:56:12 -0800 2008
It should be pointed out that many self-identified conservatives wouldn't consider the author to be one of them: Andrew Sullivan wa...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Oct 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 07 19:28:09 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 25 16:00:15 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Fri Oct 24 08:58:44 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 24 09:01:26 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Nov 27 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Oct 01 16:38:50 -0700 2008 Thu Nov 27 18:46:34 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun May 31 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 01 22:11:47 -0700 2009 Sat May 30 22:12:28 -0700 2009 3 0 true false Fri Nov 07 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Oct 18 07:54:19 -0700 2008 Tue Nov 11 05:28:28 -0800 2008 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=2101077