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New column up from Andrew Sullivan on how this election represents the death of traditional left/right liberal/conservative definitions in US politics.

Here's the lead:

Why is this election so hard for so many people? Here's one theory. It's not so easy to tell who's the liberal and who's the conservative anymore. You want a candidate who pumps unprecedented amounts of money into agricultural subsidies, uses tariffs to protect some American industries and adds a whole new entitlement to Medicare? That would be the, er, Republican, George W. Bush. You want a future President who will be hard nosed about committing U.S. troops abroad, wants to balance every new spending item with a tax hike or a spending cut elsewhere and backs states' rights on social issues? Then go ahead and vote for the, er, Democrat, John Kerry. You think there's too little federal control over education? Vote Bush. Want to expand health-care coverage primarily through the private sector? Vote Kerry.

I think Andrew is spot on in this one. And it's why I'm baffled by the fact that so many conservatives still support this man. Forget his words. Check his record. This man isn't conservative by anyone's definition. And yet the knee-jerk reaction is still to vote Republican. Why? It's as confounding as Zell Miller's refusal to become a Republican. Why do labels matter more than facts and principles? Why are so many in this nation so averse to changing their mind? And is that ultimately the appeal of George Bush?

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