President Bush may not have governed as a TrueConservative™ down the line for the last seven years, but this exchange with AP Radio’s Mark Smith highlights President Bush’s belief in those core conservative principles of Freedom and Choice.

Shorter Mark Smith: “Why aren’t you emulating the Magi Emeritus, Jimmy Carter, and asking Americans to wear sweaters and eschew heat and air conditioning, and sit at home instead of driving places?” [raised nose, satisfied look]

Not shorter, but actual, President Bush: “Well, they’re smart enough to figure out whether they’re going to drive less or not.”

“The consumer’s plenty bright, Mark,” Bush continued. “The marketplace works.”

Well said, President Bush. Well said. As The Directors said on Monday, the essence of the GOP as a Party, and Republican Conservatism as an ideology, is Republicans’ belief that “People must be free to decide how to direct their lives for themselves, and then be responsible for their choices.”

It was a nice lesson in conservatism for Mr. Smith, AP Radio savant. I wish we’d gotten a chance to view his reaction to Bush’s response, so that we could have seen whether he was still gazing down his nose at the President, or was studiously ignoring the very necessary lesson.

h/t Ace