With the addition of Noah Millman's blog to The American Conservative, Rod Dreher asks the question that may have been on the minds of some TAC readers: Has TAC gone liberal? (Millman used to be at The American Scene.) Is this supposed to give TAC greater credibility as being "open-minded" among those not associated with any form of conservatism? Rod Dreher writes: "To the extent that in Noah, we have a thoughtful critic of conservatism, one who understands and respects conservatism, even though he doesn’t share all our values, it can only make us more thoughtful and, ultimately, more persuasive." Maybe MacIntyre would appreciate that sort of defense. If this were a discussion of what is prudentially best by those with authority, I could understand why differing opinions might be needed. But TAC should be devoted first to the defense of American laws and customs in so far as they instantiate natural law precepts. Not everything can be put up for debate.

We can't pretend that any sort of discussion at a website with a rather limited readership will lead to some sort of political change. The progressive usurpers who like to troll the website for their amusement or to demonstrate their moral superiority remain unpersuaded; what basis do we have for thinking that other committed idealogues will have a moral conversion by reading the website, if they even bother to do so? "Read TAC because we now have Noah Millman writing for us!"

For the dissemination of tradition and to articulate a defense of that tradition, that is the limit to what most conservative websites (e.g. Chronicles) can aspire intellectually. These websites can also provide a place for like-minded people to meet and converse, and diminish some of that loneliness we may feel. But in the end we have to turn our attention to our role and duties, rather than mobilizing opinion on the internet in hope of enacting wide-scale change. Rather, we must form and conslidate real relationships if we are to effect change.

I haven't seen anything by Daniel McCarthy on the new addition.