Thoughts, from Jeff Goldstein:

...what is not debatable is that modern “liberalism” (more properly, contemporary “progressivism”) — and, in particular, its academic boosters — is absolutely committed to defending its long-held positions, even if doing so forces proponents into the kinds of contortions we’ve seen so much of recently, from the insistence that color-blindness is actually racism, to the demonizing of such concepts as “merit” or “fairness” or “equality of opportunity” or “melting pot” as right-wing “code words” brandished to maintain the white patriarchal status quo (the irony being that the status quo these truly liberal ideas are purported to maintain is, in fact, not the status quo at all — that distinction having long ago been granted to those pushing for various manifestations of equality of outcome, and for a social order built around multicultural feel-goodism).

The “radical” has now become the familiar — but its dusty champions are so caught up in the ego gratification and anti-establishment thrill they get from self-identifying as “movement radicals” that are blind to how stale and entrenched they’ve become.

Or, if they recognize the failings of their utopian beliefs, they are quite adept at denying it — though it takes the worst kind of anti-intellectual rationalization to maintain such positions in the face of time’s march, which cares not for their supposed good intentions, but instead seems determined to judge these “progressive” throwbacks on the effectiveness of their advocacy.

To today’s “progressive”, the mold on their ideas looks like penicillin. To time, it looks only like the moss growing on an old slice of marble rye.

"Liberals," in the twenty-first century, are the new conservatives.

Right. But where are we going to get the new liberals (in the 18 th century uncorrupted sense of the word)? I'm not overly fond of the Republicans either. I just vote for them because they slow the march of socialism.

"is absolutely committed to defending its long-held positions, even if doing so forces proponents into the kinds of contortions we’ve seen so much of recently..."

But can't you say exactly the same thing about conservatives and the Iraq war? The reasons for starting it were long discredited, the plans for ending it have repeatedly fallen apart, and there is no end in sight. But conservatives refuse to acknowledge this and bend themselves into contortions to continue to justify a position they don't want to abandon.

Let's face it, nobody admits that they're wrong, no matter how many lives are lost.

But can't you say exactly the same thing about conservatives and the Iraq war?

No.

The reasons for starting it were long discredited,

The only reason (of many) that has been in any way discredited is the existence of WMD.

...the plans for ending it have repeatedly fallen apart, and there is no end in sight.

What plans for "ending it"? Given that there were none, how can they have "fallen apart" even once, let alone "repeatedly"?

The war against Islamic fundamentalism was always going to last decades. Bush said so himself. Iraq is, and will remain, a key part of it, being at the heart of the Middle East, and strategically central.

The reasons for starting it were long discredited

You discredit the UN resolutions against Saddam? How so?

The reason for going to Iraq may be in question for some, but none should question the need to stay in Iraq until the job is done:

The first stage: Expel the Americans from Iraq.
The second stage: Establish an Islamic authority or amirate
The third stage: Extend the jihad wave to the secular countries neighboring Iraq.
The fourth stage: It may coincide with what came before: the clash with Israel, because Israel was established only to challenge any new Islamic entity.

My raising this idea - I don't claim that it's infallible - is only to stress something extremely important. And it is that the mujahedeen must not have their mission end with the expulsion of the Americans from Iraq, and then lay down their weapons, and silence the fighting zeal. We will return to having the secularists and traitors holding sway over us. Instead, their ongoing mission is to establish an Islamic state, and defend it, and for every generation to hand over the banner to the one after it until the Hour of Resurrection.
- Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda deputy chief

So Rand hates conservatives now?

So Rand hates conservatives now?

What a strange question.

I don't hate anyone. That seems to be something that so-called liberals do.