Conservatives in Name Only
'Is there a conservative disposition? The answer, I think, is that there is, and what I’ve just described is not it. . .
Conservatism considers one of the cardinal virtues to be prudence. And no conservative — certainly no one familiar with the magnificent history of the Constitution — should be opposed to compromise per se. . .
It simply means that conservatives should make their case with an urgency balanced by practical wisdom, equanimity and a sense of proportion. . .
In a marvelous 1976 essay, the historian Gertrude Himmelfarb contended that the key word to describe the conservative disposition was “enjoyment.” Unlike those who are “always lusting after something that is not,” the conservative tends to find delight in the achievements and blessings we have.'
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/15/opinion/conservatives-in-name-only.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=c-column-top-span-region®ion=c-column-top-span-region&WT.nav=c-column-top-span-region
