Koch: Why do I defend Palin in this case? I don’t agree with her political philosophy: She is an arch conservative. I am a liberal with sanity. I know that I am setting myself up for attack when I ask, why did Emile Zola defend Dreyfus? Palin is no Dreyfus and I am certainly no Zola. But all of us have an obligation, particularly those in politics and public office,

NRO: Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the GOP’s high priest of pecuniary politics, has ascended to the chairmanship of the House Budget Committee. Across the land, fiscal conservatives applaud the rise of the 40-year-old wonk. But the cheers in Congress are more sporadic: Unflinching endorsements of Ryan’s fiscal blueprint are rare. Apparently, the new majority is in no mood — yet — for a full-spectrum fight on entitlements. […] […]

Is Jeb Bush in his ear, warning him that it’s safer politically to brand yourself “center-right” and “civil” than to get all that TEA Party stink on you? Is he watching what the media and the left have been able to do to a female former Governor — turning her “toxic,” even among those who call themselves conservative, despite her being one of the most forceful advocates of conservatism and

“Obama Launches Rule Review, Pledging to Spur Jobs, Growth”. Uh huh. Between this, his Tucson speech, and his new-found religiosity, we’re watching the machinations of a long con. Seeing “pragmatic” conservatives tripping all over themselves to fall for it a second time? Oddly bemusing — if remarkably surreal. (h/t TerryH)