Howard Owens, who writes the terrific Global News Watch wrote:

I’ve got a question for you … I understand why you’re armed, but I don’t understand why you consider yourself a liberal?

Well, I’ve touched on it, but haven’t completely gone into that yet. I’ll suggest two broad areas:
1) To be vulnerably broad and fuzzy, that governments have the right and duty to make things better for those who are poor and powerless; and that the duty of government to defend freedom and property is balanced by a duty to defend justice and mercy. As noted in all my comments on equality and legitimacy, I think the role of the government here and in Europe in reifying the economic and social stratification is a terrible and dangerous thing;
2) The classical ‘liberal > conservative’ continuum in American (and to an extent European) politics has to do with the appropriate role of government versus the role of individuals and other nongovernmental organizations (businesses, unions, social and cultural organizations). The basic ‘conservative’ point tends to blend (with varying degrees of success) a kind of Von Mies-ian distaste for central planning and authority with a belief that the appropriate role of government is to defend the stability and interests of business and the ‘social order’. I believe that central planning and authority have been crucial to the success of the American model, and that the real history of American success is written not only in the energy and abilities of our individual citizens but in the great actions of the central and state governments that built schools, universities, railroads, created the financial mechanisms that made widespread homeownership possible, have defended the environment, and promoted and enforced an end to racial and sex discrimination.

You say you believe we should make the world a better place. But how does that differ from what conservatives believe? I consider myself a conservative and I want to make the world a better place. And I believe the path to a better world is found in freedom, not tyranny. I believe in democracy and free markets. The more democracy we have, the more we have of the rule of law and of property rights and free trade, the more we will have of peace, love and understanding.

Well, since we both want to make the world a better place, we’d both do well in a beauty contest…*grin*. The devil is, as always in the details. I am not a complete fan of democracy. I believe in the American constitutional system, and think the Founders did a hella job here, and I believe that when we blithely say “we want to make ________-istan a democracy” we are either making polite and meaningless noises or smoking crack. Look, we aren’t a democracy, and that’s a good thing.
A democratically elected Saudi government would, today, doubtless launch a suicidal attack on Israel.
I think freedom is a great thing, but that it has to grow from a cultural environment (ours isn’t the only culture that can support it, but it has worked here) that can sustain it. And, bluntly, I don’t think that freedom to, which I believe is the kind of freedom you are talking about, is the only kind of freedom; I think that freedom from – from hunger, poverty, disease, ignorance – is equally important.

I don’t know any conservatives that would disagree with that goal.

I know conservatives who would be appalled by what I’ve said above; if they aren’t, it’s my failure for not saying it clearly enough.

I can’t say I’ve ever seen much in your blog that would suggest you are really a liberal.

Well, again, that’s my fault as an author, and I’ll ask you to give me some time and we’ll see how you feel then.

One other point — The jokes are funny, but I don’t believe even the people who first thought of them really believe in ethnic cleansing or genocide. I don’t know any conservatives that seriously want to destroy Arab nations or Islam. What we do want is peace. What we do want is safety. And the best way to do that is through regime change. Democracy is the answer. That has no hint of any suggestion in it that cultures or races should be destroyed or even harmed.

I think you are 100% wrong here; the issue is the culture, not only the regime. Now I will agree that the regimes have helped create the cultural memes that are driving the crises we’re talking about. But, to be honest, I believe they are equally the captive of them. And you must not be talking to the same conservatives I talk to…seriously.
I’ll try and expand on this as time allows. As I’ve noted in our emails before, I am awed and amazed at the quality and quantity of information you put out. I’ve still got my training wheels on, but give me some time and I’ll keep up.