“Even George W. Bush’s biggest fans will concede that their president isn’t much of a political philosopher. So the thinking has been, especially among Bush’s critics on the right, that the administration won’t have a lasting impact on conservative ideas. Once this presidency comes to a close in January 2009, innovations like the Bush Doctrine and ‘compassionate conservatism’ can be safely filed away alongside the ‘I Like Ike’ memorabilia and bumper stickers advocating nuclear freeze. Think again. Even if the president himself goes quietly into Crawford, members of the Bush brain trust are already working to define conservatism for the next generation. And both conservative institutions and the mainstream media have been eager to give them platforms from which to do so.” (11/19/07)