Big-Government Conservatism

A couple weeks ago, I observed:

[T]he Right is at a crossroad. On one hand are those who have inured themselves to the relentless growth of government. Such people no longer want to downsize federal agencies but to harness them for their own ends.

A few days ago, David Keene, the longtime chairman of the American Conservative Union, confirmed that this philosophy dominates the current White House:

"I've been to no end of meetings where his [President Bush's] chief advisers have said, 'Watch not how much we spend but how we spend it.' But to the traditional conservative, how you spend it and how much you spend are both important."