So I’ve read that Andrew Sullivan essay that Jonah linked to yesterday. It is a thoughtful and clear statement of Sullivan’s position; name-calling is kept to a minimum (at least until the end). The essay begins in earnest with a contrast between a “conservatism of faith” and a “conservatism of doubt”—what others might call an “axiomatic” vs. a “skeptical” conservatism. Sullivan notes in introducing them that he is speaking of “ideal types”: “I know very few conservatives who fit completely into one camp or the other.” His argument is that contemporary conservatism needs a lot more doubt and a lot less faith. He makes some points with which I wholeheartedly agree: that modern conservatism is not as concerned with reducing the size of the federal government as it should be, for example, and that religious humility is a feature marked by its frequent and unfortunate absence from the religious Right.