Zero-sum thinking in American conservatism goes deeper than disputing spoils. The Tea Party's view about things like benefits is a subset of a more general vein of conservative thought in which liberty itself is seen as a zero-sum commodity.

The death of Robert H. Bork on Wednesday brings to mind his singular moment: the Senate's rejection of his Supreme Court nomination in 1987.

Democrats opposing Bork's nomination would have seen their votes as not just a stand against a particular judicial nominee but as a vote against the social agenda of an administration they felt was attempting to turn the page on the progress of previous decades.

This week, Republicans ramped up their newest attack on Elena Kagan: her praise in 2006 for Aharon Barak, Israel's former Chief Justice. This line of attack is as baseless as it is unsound.

WASHINGTON — Failed conservative Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork is joining anti-abortion activists to publicly oppose confirming Elena Kagan ...