Craig Shirley and Donald Devine have an article in the Washington Post claiming that "Karl Rove is no conservative". While I agree with most of what they said, they do gloss over some important points. Describing the rise of the conservative movement in the second half of the 20th century, they say:

Modern American conservatism has roots in the ideas of philosopher John Locke, the founding fathers and the notion that humans' natural state is freedom. This thinking later fused into a modern political movement with Buckley, who also championed the idea that that liberty is God-given, thus broadening the movement's appeal to social conservatives. Over time, American conservatism evolved into a well-defined political movement that is anti-status quo, opposed to excessive government, populist and pro-individual.

Of course, what they neglect to say is that this support from social conservatives came at the cost of supporting policies that are distinctly anti-individual and pro-excessive government, such as drug prohibition and anti-homosexuality.

Later, they make the laughable assertion that "the party's problems are complicated by its good manners".

Republicans do not wish to upbraid Bush and Rove for leading the GOP and conservatism astray. People such as Glenn Beck and Mark Levin who have even mildly criticized the spending and excesses wrought by Republicans have been churlishly attacked by defenders of the era.

In case you are unsure, Merriam-Webster defines churlish as "of, resembling, or characteristic of a churl: vulgar". So you see, Republicans want to denounce the un-conservative legacy of Bush and Rove. Unfortunately, other Republicans will "churlishly" attack them if they do so. And so they say nothing. To my eye, that looks more like intellectual cowardice than "good manners".