Former Bush speech writer "strangely disoriented" by Tea Party

As a self-defined “mainstream conservative,” it is no wonder Michael Gerson is “strangely disoriented” by the Tea Party movement. Whenever conservatives put a qualifier in front their name, it is often followed by a dismissal of all others not quite so enlightened as themselves. Gerson’s former boss, President George W. Bush—suggesting every conservative before him was hard-hearted and unsophisticated—wanted to be called “compassionate.” He then implemented government policies to intervene in charitable activities. Then, when he decided to grow government with numerous taxpayer funded programs like costly prescription drug benefits, “No-Child-Left-Behind,” and TARP, he became a “strong government” conservative. What Mr. Gerson fails to grasp is that conservatives have always stood for limited government, not just when it is politically viable. The Tea Party movement has stirred those fires in a group of Americans who weren’t politically active before the passage of TARP and the Obama administration’s take-over of private industries. They’re now awakened to the fact that federal, state and local governments have taken control of almost every aspect of their lives. For this reason, in order to preserve their liberties, yes, those liberties that were enshrined by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution, they are in a state of revolt...more