Commentary Magazine   Political Moderation and the Conservative
Disposition  Peter Berkowitz has written an outstanding book,
Constitutional Conservatism, whose central aim is to “recover
the constitutional connection between liberty, self-government,
and political moderation.”  In discussing political moderation,
Berkowitz does not mean lack of principle or expedience. Rather,
what he has in mind is a conservative disposition that
accommodates and balances competing principles. “The
Constitution weaves political moderation well understood into
the very structure of self-government,” he says. Berkowitz
writes that constitutional conservatism “stresses that balancing
worthy but conflicting political principles depends on
cultivating the spirit of political moderation institutionalized
by the Constitution.” It understands that liberty is sometimes
in tension with tradition. It places a premium on prudence and
takes into account shifting circumstances and public sentiments.
And the Constitution, Berkowitz points