Newsweek’s Howard Fineman — you don’t see the usual caricature of conservatives in his stuff.

The worst? You’re kidding, right?

I’m about to start naming names, but, it’d be unfair — because the ones I’m coming up with are not doing anything dozens of others aren’t. Can I just name whole organs here? NPR. CBS, Reuters. … The thing is, like I said earlier, they — the members of the big bad MSM — do not deliver what they pretend to. Call them opinion journals and I’ll respect ‘em. I don’t mean to make it so simple, but, at base, it is.

BM: Beneath the confident veneer, how much faith do conservatives really have in George W. Bush? I was at the CPAC conference this past year, and there wasn’t exactly a unified chorus of support. And I remember seeing Bill Kristol’s less-than-wholehearted endorsement of the president on Jon Stewart’s show before the election. But there are also a number of true believers out there who really seem to feel Bush is something of a godsend. Do conservatives have more or less enthusiasm for Bush than they did for people like his father and Ronald Reagan?

KJL: Conservatives don’t speak with one voice — which is usually a healthy thing. But then libs don’t either. It’s a big country and all, and so are the political movements.

That said, I think President Bush is tremendously important for our country to have as president at this moment in time. Nothing’s been perfect by a mile — including Iraq, I’d be a liar to spin otherwise. But, especially since 9/11, he’s held his ground and been clear-thinking on Afghanistan and Iraq, for instance. But even in those debates — I’m forever furious he hasn’t been clearer on ties between Iraq and terrorism, for one thing.

But even before 9/11, I was impressed how he handled the stem cells, to name another issue, in the weeks before the attack — really giving it a principled compromise that respected the dignity of human life. He showed a respect for a melding of science and ethics that was a lot more thought-out than a lot of the [the rhetoric] … on the issue. (And don’t get me started on the media coverage of that topic.)

Is he, at heart, a conservative? I don’t know. Have we gotten conservative policies from his administration? Will we get more? Yes and yes. Does he talk to/work with conservatives? Sure does. Is every man and woman in the administration a conservative? No. And some high-ranking [ones] aren’t necessarily. (Though, contrary to the rumor, there is no Vast Right Wing Conspiracy membership card, so there are not actual numbers available.) And some days that’s more of a problem on some issues than others. But what’s the alternative? Gore or Kerry? Not a hard choice. … [I]f it’s a contest between a clear thinker on Iraq and Senator Positionless of Massachusetts (or many positions, rather, on Iraq), I know what’s my first priority.

At the end of the day, Bush is a moral leader with a lot of conservative instincts. Why do I say that? He’s a man who challenges the UN to prove its legitimacy to the world. He may very well change Social Security as we know it. Huge. And I’m cautiously optimistic that despite a lot of gearing up on the Left, he’s going to leave a strong, positive, and yes, conservative — though not in the activist sense — legacy in the courts.

Don’t get me wrong, NRO will have its problems with the GOP, White House, W. But taken as a whole package, it’s not too hard to pick sides.

BM: Finally, if you were going to be locked in a room for 24 hours with three prominent liberals, but you could choose who they would be, whom would you pick?

KJL: Can I do something easy like monitor Iraqi elections instead? I’m kidding. Did I mention I’m quitting my day job to become a standup comic? Though I hear Jon Stewart is hiring Tucker Carlson to be his sidekick — the job I was angling for. So much for that.

Does this room have windows, just in case?

Arnold Schwarzeneggar. Arlen Specter.

Sorry. Just kidding again (not entirely this time, truth be told).

Seriously: Gloria Steinem. I’d love to know what she really thinks of the fruits of the Ms. revolution. (A failure — that should get the conversation rolling.)

Jim Carville. Just because. Though — wait — a whole 24 hours? Let me rethink that. Actually, since this is all hypothetical: Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Smart and he has stories to tell. And I could have a drink with him when Gloria got tiresome.

Bill Clinton. Supposedly he can win over anyone one-on-one. But in a 24-hour isolation cell? He can’t be that skilled. It’s not happening. And in that amount of time, he couldn’t be on the whole time. It could be interesting (unlike, say, his book).

Or … maybe I’d just go with Kerry campaign bandleader Jon Bon Jovi. I’d get a lot less grief about him when I got out and I’d be finally be able to sing the same tune with someone in the room.

• 1
• 2