The Washington Post devotes an entire article to a gathering of conservative leaders that hasn't happened yet but that will purportedly unveil a “a manifesto for a growing movement against the political establishment” that organizers bill as “a declaration of conservative values and beliefs.”

Here's the closest the Post comes to indicating what the “manifesto” actually says:

“We don't talk about specific issues or parties or the current political situation,'' said Alfred S. Regnery, publisher of the American Spectator magazine. He helped draft the statement as part of the Conservative Action Project, a new group seeking to coordinate the chorus of voices. “It's a philosophical foundation, based on the concept of constitutional conservatism. It's written so most conservatives can say, 'Yeah, this is just what I think.' ”

Ahead of Wednesday's meeting, organizers released only an excerpt of the two-page document. It says in part, “The federal government today ignores the limits of the Constitution, which is increasingly dismissed as obsolete and irrelevant. . . . The change we urgently need, a change consistent with the American ideal, is not movement away from but toward our founding principles.'' (Ellipsis in original)

Ok ... What does that even mean? Nothing. It's so broad it could be read as the ”philosophical foundation" for just about anything. Take this part, for example: “the federal government today ignores the limits of the constitution.” What is that, an indication that Al Regnery and his buddies are ready to come out against Don't Ask, Don't Tell, DOMA, and restrictions on reproductive rights? No, I guess it probably isn't. When your “declaration of conservative values and beliefs” is a statement that could just as easily be read as a criticism of conservative policies, that's a pretty good sign that the declaration isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

Nothing in the Post's article constitutes an idea, or even a principle, really -- platitudes aren't principles. It seems that if you're a conservative, you don't need ideas to get a write-up in the Washington Post -- you just need to announce that you're going to announce some ideas. Someday. And they'll be great.