WHAT IS CONSERVATISM for the younger generation? Interesting article from the New York Times, which might profitably be read together with this piece by Jim Glassman.

I certainly agree with this statement by Ramesh Ponnuru: “There is a serious possibility that the libertarian wing of the conservative movement goes off in its own direction, either breaking off or allying with the Democrats.” The Democratic party, in its current configuration, is in decline. But the split between libertarians and social conservatives is likely to determine the shape of politics over the next decades.

UPDATE: More interesting thoughts here. Excerpt: “If we were not at war right now, the pressures in the Republican Party would be much, much closer to the surface than they are right now; we would have have seen real primary challengers and possibly even serious ones.”