"A true conservative"

On February 10 George Bush called John McCain “a true conservative,” like Bush would know anything about that.

Bush is a true conservative on three or four points.
Taxation – He seems to understand the need to keep taxes low. (But he misses the other half of the equation. See Spending below.)
Defense – He understands the need for a strong military.
Personal morality – There is no talk that Bush drinks, takes drugs, or cheats on his wife.
Judges – On this point it may have been just a matter of luck. There was the Harriet Miers fiasco first of all. That leads me to believe that the Roberts nomination was more luck than anything else. But even an ugly win is a win after all.

But Bush fails the “true conservative” test in these important areas.
Spending – Bush fails miserably. He spends like the rich brat he is, as though the federal treasury were a no-limit American Express card. Reagan upset all sorts of people but he cut off spending and hiring. His message was simple; if your people want it fund it locally.
Globalization – Bush bargains around the world with his free trade agreements. Eliminating tariffs may make imports cheaper but at the expense of American jobs. Conservatives aren’t isolationists, but they aren’t dopes either.
Sovereignty – Conservatives yearn for a national identity. Border state politics differ from the rest of the country. We need a leader who will stand up to the world and defend our language and traditions, not patronize the flavor of the day, be it Cinco de Mayo or Muslims who consider themselves jilted in some way or gays who want the right to marry. Rove wanted to dance with everyone. Bush went along.
The global warming hoax – Bush is chasing Al Gore, trying to catch up to him. That can’t be good.
Energy – Had he vigorously pursued nuclear power and exploration we might have had some leverage with oil prices.
Regulation – Entrepreneurs now go to India, Australia and China to set up shop. We’ve become Europe with too much government interference in the business world.
Anti-entitlements – Bush has presided over the house of cards where loans were given to people who had no way to pay for them. Much of federal spending above went to people living off the government. He tries to act tough in the face of unemployment benefit extensions or mortgage bail-outs, but these are token gestures in the face of a history of spending.
Rule of law – A true conservative obeys the laws of the land. Bush is our #1 enforcer and he has failed to enforce immigration laws. Only since 2006 has he made an effort to catch up with Bill Clinton.

Time will tell how conservative McCain turns out to be, but an endorsement from Bush is not a good sign.

McCain may be the lesser of two evils in November, but that doesn't make him "a true conservative."