Oh-oh, a "moderate conservative" has second thoughts about President Obama

Writes David Brooks, a Republican who proudly voted for Barack Obama:

Those of us who consider ourselves moderates — moderate-conservative, in my case — are forced to confront the reality that Barack Obama is not who we thought he was. His words are responsible; his character is inspiring. But his actions betray a transformational liberalism that should put every centrist on notice. As Clive Crook, an Obama admirer, wrote in The Financial Times, the Obama budget “contains no trace of compromise. It makes no gesture, however small, however costless to its larger agenda, of a bipartisan approach to the great questions it addresses. It is a liberal’s dream of a new New Deal.”

Read the whole thing. Brooks describes an interesting "moderate conservative" vision of the U.S. that may seem appealing to many, but will never motivate any substantial voter bloc.