Patriot act and the Enabling act

True, however in Dutch political discourse "Liberal" means "Liberal", and somehow that makes so much more sense...

Every economic policy I've heard declared by Bush was 100% Liberal in essence. Therefore, at least on the economic level, he is certainly a (classical) Liberal. Perhaps it is precisely a policy like the Patriot Act that distinguishes him from Liberals?

 

Yes, that and the fact that those who call themselves Liberals in the US would not share his views on economics either. It's a somewhat peculiar situation in that the term Liberal(in the US) has evolved to mean Leftist exclusively. The term Classical or Jeffersonian Liberal is an academic distinction and not a term that is commonly understood in political discussions outside academia.

Ps I'm not arguing that this use of the term makes good logical sense, in terms of the literal meaning of the word, because it doesn't.

 

the party thats goes in big for individual rights in the usa is the libertarian party ...ie minimal govt intrusion ,gun rights ,taxes ,seat belt laws ,ect