Conscience of a conservative

I was looking through my library collection today when I stumbled across one of my all time favorite books, "Conscience of a Conservative", by the late Senator from Arizona, Barry Goldwater. As I read through some of the chapters I wondered where the spirit of conservatism that Goldwater adhered to has gone? Certainly, it does not exist in today's GOP. Goldwater was a fervant defender of states' rights and the principle of federalism, an advocate of fiscal restraint, and a proponent of a strong military. In other words, Goldwater was a conservative's conservative; a conservative with a conscience. And if Goldwater was a conservative, then the current GOP, the current president, and the standard bearer of the party, John McCain, are not. One need only look at the events of the last eight years: fighting two wars without the necessary planning and build-up to properly prosecute those wars and then maintain security in both regions; spending at levels that doubles the debt of the next generation without regard for how they, my children, will pay for it; expanding the size of the federal government at a pace not seen since FDR's presidency; signing into law legislation that negatively impacts our freedom of speech, and the list goes on. Bush, and for that matter John McCain, are not Goldwater. In fact, they, and the party, have just about strangled and killed off what Goldwater started in 1964 and Reagan brought to fruition in 1980. Reading that book today, one remembers what it means to be a conservative. Perhaps I should send a copy to President Bush and Senator McCain?