The essence of conservatism

can be summed up in the final quote of this Jonah Goldberg column:

Civilization is a balancing act. When you lose your balance on the tightrope, you must make great swings in your stance just to get centered again. And even then, the odds are you fall off. The real trick is avoid making sudden moves in either direction.

Good words from Jonah - and words I try valiantly to convince my liberal friends of. Conservatives are not opposed to change, but change must be effected in a manner such that civilization is not endangered. The best way for Americans is through the slow and tortuous process that our Constitution outlines.