Peter Berkowitz of the Hoover Institution has an outstanding essay in the latest edition of Policy Review.  This is a must-read for students of conservative thought.  Berkowitz does a brilliant job of merging the core principles of conservatism with the tactical electoral realities conservatives now face.  His analysis of the “social” and ”libertarian” conservative split is also interesting as is his critique of the Bush administration. 

He also offers a framework for thinking about policy:

• An economic program, health care and social security reform, energy policy, and protection for the environment grounded in fiscally sound, growth-oriented, market-based solutions.
• A national security policy that maintains American military preeminence because it is indispensable to the defense of freedom at home and to the discharge of…