Politics: Even the Economist

There is a fine line between conservative and neoconservative. The Economist magazine treads the line carefully, but usually lands on the traditional, market-oriented, old-style conservative side when push comes to shove.

This week's Economist includes a leader on the U.S. government's plan for military tribunals. The headline tells the story: Unjust, Unwise, UnAmerican. Perhaps the most damning passage is this one about exactly what supporters will continue to support:

This newspaper firmly supported George Bush's battles against the Taliban and Saddam Hussein. We also believe that in some areas, such as domestic intelligence gathering, his government should nudge the line between liberty and security towards the latter. But the military commissions the Bush administration has set up to try al-Qaeda suspects are still wrong—illiberal, unjust and likely to be counter-productive for the war against terrorism.