http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2011/06/conservatism-is-true.htmlThis is a very interesting article about conservatism by Andrew Sullivan, a conservative who also happens to be gay. He talks about conservatism as a political philosophy, how it's tied closer to "humankind's crooked timber," and why the Republican Party just doesn't get it.
I'm not a conservative; most of my political philosophy is derived from the writings of John Stuart Mill (a liberal). Nevertheless, I like Sullivan's idea of what it means to be a conservative. Read it, but disregard the dogma of the Republican Party.