Peggy Noonan today:

Once again there's a family in crisis, and it's conservatism. He can let it break up, or let it wither under his watch. Or he can change. Just as he learned at 40 that to keep his family he had to become part of something larger than himself, he should realize as he approaches 60 that he has to become part of something larger if he is to save his administration. And that "something larger" is a movement that has been building for half a century, since before Barry Goldwater. The president would be well advised to look at the stakes, see what's in the balance, judge the strengths and weaknesses of his own leadership, and get back to the basics of conservatism.

Oh, so that's it. The trouble isn't a dysfunctional FEMA, or the deficit, or tens of millions without health insurance, or the endless disaster in Iraq. The trouble is Bush is making conservatives bicker.

Hey, Peggy, you're right for once -- Bush should try to become part of something larger than himself.

How about something bigger than the brotherhood of right-wing dogmatists? Or even than Bush's native tribe, the plutocrats?

How about America?