How Far Will They Go To Kill Conservatism?

Check out the post by conservative blogger John Cole, How Far Will They Go To Kill Conservatism:

I have said it before- this is jihad for these folks. They don't give two hoots in hell about Terri Schiavo- this is about abortion, religion, and most of all, about power and control. Their concept of morality is king, you see- your behavior in the bedroom, your choice in sexual partner, your desires about end of life decisions, abortion, even the medication you use to ease the pain when you are dying of terminal diseases- their religious text should have authority over you, and if all these 'small-government strict constructionists states right's advocates' have to attain that through government proxy, so be it.

Now, that's a conservative Republican talking. You know, there are parts of conservatism that I agree with, but more and more it seems that the those are the parts that Republicans have been dropping from their platform. I used to consider myself a fiscal conservative, but that was back when the phrase really meant fiscal responsibility. Today fiscal conservative means tax cuts are the answer to every problem and deficits don't matter. Since Clinton, the Democrats have been the party of fiscal responsibility. This reminds me of liberal Kung Fu Monkey's post several months ago I Miss Republicans:

No, seriously. Remember Republicans? Sober men in suits, pipes, who'd nod thoughtfully over their latest tract on market-driven fiscal conservatism while grinding out the numbers on rocket science. Remember those serious-looking 1950's-1960's science guys in the movies -- Republican to a one.

They were the grown-ups. They were the realists. Sure they were a bummer, maaaaan, but on the way to La Revolution you need somebody to remember where you parked the car. I was never one (nor a Democrat, really, more an agnostic libertarian big on the social contract, but we don't have a party ...), but I genuinely liked them.

How did they become the party of fairy dust and make believe? How did they become the anti-science guys? The anti-fact guys? The anti-logic guys?

I'm not talking McCain, Hagel, Snowe, or Lugar, here, the cool hard-ass Republicans who still operate in the real world. I'm talking specifically about the guys running the party right now.

Stem cell research? Agin' it.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion ..."-- Why not?
Biggest Surplus to biggest debt, even not counting the war? More tax cuts!
Post-war planning in one of the most divisive Arab communities in the world? Don't need it.
Global warming? No, no it's not.
No WMD's? So what? ... "So what?" SO WHAT?
Conservation? Bigger tax breaks for Hummers than hybrids.
Soldiers need more armor! No, no they don't. Nonny-nonny-nonny ...

UPDATE: Even Glenn Reynolds is beginning to see a Conservative Crackup and quotes many more conservatives who see the same thing. As pointed out above, this has been going on for quite some time, but now it's becoming obvious to most everyone.