It’s easy:
Now, in order to be considered a “liberal,” only one thing is required – a failure to pledge blind loyalty to George W. Bush. The minute one criticizes him is the minute that one becomes a “liberal,” regardless of the ground on which the criticism is based. And the more one criticizes him, by definition, the more “liberal” one is. Whether one is a “liberal” — or, for that matter, a “conservative” — is now no longer a function of one’s actual political views, but is a function purely of one’s personal loyalty to George Bush.
“Liberal” IMO is actually pretty tame. “Traitor” and “America hater” are hurled around a lot too. The full explanation is here. It wasn’t too long ago that Bob Barr was an A player on the fundraising circuit because of his role in impeaching Clinton. Now in many conservatives’ eyes he’s just another whiny ACLU type. Meanwhile, Anne Coulter feels comfortable enough at CPAC to rant about ragheads.
Via Andrew Sullivan