The Conservative Conundrum

摘要

I knew this presidential campaign was getting a little weird when a fellow conservative accused me of worshipping Zeus. Marvin Olasky is the father of compassionate conservatism and an adviser to the Bush campaign. Last week he wrote an essay in which he said some journalists who don't like Bush have "holes in their souls." He chided three of us-my Weekly Standard colleague Bill Kristol, The New York Times's Frank Rich and me-for being pagans. If we paid more attention to the Gospels, he argued, we'd prefer Bush's supposed virtues, faith and charity, to McCain's, honor and duty. "Brooks has faith only in Zeus-like strength," Olasky declared. It reminds me I need to get to the gym more often, not only to get some Olympian pecs, but to defend myself against blows from my allies.