As regular readers of this blog are well aware by now, I regard myself as a conservative who who has deep philosophical differences with the current regime in Washington.

But what is "conservative"? Political labels are often meaningless unless they are defined.

Space considerations -- and the patience of my readers -- do not permit me to expound at length on my own political philosophy, but I think it might be instructive to offer some brief quotations on the subject that reflect my point of view.

Here are three -- all taken, appropriately enough, from speeches.

"What is conservatism? Is it not adherence to the old and tried, against the new and untried?"

-- Abraham Lincoln, Cooper Union Speech, 1860

"In a progressive country, change is constant; and the great question is, not whether you should resist change which is inevitable, but whether change should be carried out in deference to the manners, the customs, the laws, the traditions of the people, or in deference to abstract principles and arbitrary and general doctrines."

-- Benjamin Disraeli, Speech in Edinburgh, 1867

"I favor the policy of economy, not because I wish to save money, but because I wish to save people. The men and women of this country who toil are the ones who bear the cost of government. Every dollar that we carelessly waste means that their life will be so much the more meager. Every dollar that we prudently save means that their life will be so much the more abundant. Economy is idealism in its most practical form."

-- Calvin Coolidge, Inaugural Address, 1925

I may offer a few more of my favorite quotes on the subject in a later posting.