Jonathan Chait on how conservatives interpret failure, 6/13/06:

The liberal author Rick Perlstein once said of the right’s mindset, ‘Conservatism never fails. It is only failed.’ Bush has failed. Therefore, he cannot be a conservative.

Jeb Bush, 1/27/07:

It’s important for us to realize we lost, and there are significant reasons that happened, but it isn’t because conservatives were rejected. But it’s because we rejected the conservative philosophy in this country.