George Will greeted 2012 with an upbeat look into the future of American conservatism.  The heart of his thesis, namely that if American conservatives would just overcome their obsession with the presidency, they would see plenty of reasons for hopefulness on the horizon, would almost be convincing were the U.S. the constitutional republic its founders intended it to be.  Will's optimism seems to be grounded in a view of America that might be found in a school primer on American Government written in 1907, rather than in any reality faced by conservatives today. Here is Will's claim: Although they have become prone to apocalyptic forebodings about the fragility of the nation's institutions and traditions under the current president, conservatives should stride confidently into 2012.  This is not because they are certain, or even likely, to defeat President Obama this year.  Rather, it is because, if they emancipate themselves from their unconservative fixation on...(Read Full Post)