From a political analysis piece on the same-sex marriage debate in BBC News Online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3519179.stm):


But Mr Bush also faces his own political risks by pressing this issue.

While polls show that two-thirds of Americans oppose same-sex marriage, only a slight majority support an amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

And if the debate turns poisonous, both he and the Republican Party could once again be viewed not as compassionately conservative but as mean-spirited and intolerant.

But is there really any such thing as "compassionate conservatism" - or is it just a rhetorical difference between "diplomatic" conservatism & "unapologetic" conservatism?

Intelligent conservatives realize that laws prohibiting same-sex marriage are irrational & divisive, & therefore almost certain to be reformed at some stage. I would nonetheless still expect them to oppose same-sex marriage, either for reasons of political opportunism, or out of sheer bloody-mindedness - certainly not on "compassionate" grounds.

It seems to me that one can't be conservative, intelligent & compassionate at the same time, without being a rather hopeless mass of contradictions.

Yes, it's sort of like a tolerant fundamentalist. An owymoron, a contradiction.
A person can't really believe in eternal hell and be tolerant of others.

sheer bloody-mindedness.

Around some places they like to strut around and call "Sheer bloody-mindedness" character. Or faith.