What is a "Real Conservative"? - [i]The American Conservative[/i] magazine

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Despite what his supporters say, President Bush has far more in common with Richard Nixon than Ronald Reagan. That's the idea put forth in conservative economist Bruce Bartlett's new book, Impostor.

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The book, subtitled "How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy," looks at the president from the point of view of a former Reagan White House official.

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Calling President Bush an opportunist who lacks a set of political principles like those that guided Reagan, Bartlett worries that the country -- and conservatives in particular -- are being hurt by the president's mistakes. He faults Bush for increasing federal spending -- with programs like the 2003 Medicare prescription drug bill -- while also cutting taxes.

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Bartlett, who supported Bush in the 2000 election, was a domestic policy aide at the White House in the Reagan administration; he also served as deputy assistant secretary in the Treasury Department under the first President Bush.

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Until recently, Bartlett was a senior fellow at the conservative think tank the National Center for Policy Analysis. He lost the job in October because, Bartlett says, he was increasingly critical of President Bush.

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