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This was entirely to be expected during the second Bush-Rove-DeLay term, but a lot of people were SHOCKED. (Paging the unjustly-respected Jane Galt!)
The institutional power of officeholders gives them a large degree of immunity from public opinion (including their supporters' opinions), especially at the beginnings of their terms, especially if all branches of Government are controlled by one small group.
I expect that over the next four years we'll see a long parade of Bush supporters who call themselves conservatives and libertarians explaining that they just had no way of knowing that these things were going to happen.
No, I don't think so. What we will see is a long a parade of these "conservatarian" Bush supporters, as they have the last 4 years, cheerleading their every move and only being "shocked" that anyone would dare criticize. As Jesse says:
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[I]t leaves one to wonder if Republicanism is a dead ideology powered by its sycophancy to itself.
That's about right.