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Entry: Douthat: Rhymes with Oakeshott? Link: http://www.takimag.com/sniperstower/article/douthat_rhymes_with_oakeshott#29542 Post contents: This debate -- about what is conservatism and who is a conservative -- is largely a waste of time because it is just a debate about a word. And words can mean anything. The word "conservative" simply refers to the conservative movement -- those who support George Bush, the USA PATRIOT ACT, the war in Iraq, torture, private mercenary arms, warrantless wiretapping and so on. Anyone can claim that he represents a more pure and true version of something, but that just gets us back into debating words. I suppose one could argue that Communism isn't really bad, and that Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin weren't "true" Communists. However, such an attempt to re-define a word wouldn't change the fact that Communism is evil. The current debate about the nature and definition of conservatism doesn't change the fact that conservatism is evil. Sent at: 2009 01 08