The radicalism of this “conservative” administration

Two items from the ever informative Inter Press Service News Agency illustrate how extreme and un-"conservative" the Bush Junior administration really is:

• "Israelis Grow Troubled by Bush Priorities" by Jim Lobe.
  The policy of "regime change" in Syria obsessively promoted by the zealots dominating this administration is so irresponsible and disconnected from reality that even Israeli hardliners like Sharon think it dangerous.  Israel’s not exactly known for moderation on Syria, but they know a recipe for regional chaos when they see it.

• "A ‘Conservative’ Identity Crisis", also by Jim Lobe
  Lobe argues convincingly that "One of the most misleading U.S. journalistic conventions has been the use of ‘conservative’ to describe right-wing Republicans, like President George W. Bush and the party’s leadership in Congress. More than four years into the "war on terrorism", it is clear to all but the blindest observers that they are anything but."
  A particularly insightful observation which highlights the vital role played by an informed citizenry in a healthy democracy, which in turn depends on a independent media (which is so sadly lacking from American life today):

  "While all of these conservative dissidents — paleos, libertarians, realists and government bureaucrats — have been proven largely correct in their worries about the administration’s foreign policy radicalism, the relative indifference of most of the public to world affairs, let alone contending foreign policy philosophies, has limited their political impact."