What Do They Really Believe?

Conservatives have become so accustomed to saying outrageous things that it makes one wonder at their sanity sometimes. Here's some speculation on this phenomenon from the New Republic. Is exhibiting such willful ignorance merely an admissions ticket to the group--to prove one is a "conservative?" I know some conservatives who I don't think believe these things, but they and their fellows in the conservative press seem strangely quiet. The last conservative blogger who challenged these beliefs (David Frum at AEI) got run out of town.