John on the Sunset Coast, it's true that a few "progressives" in the media sometimes use the term "conservative" as a pejorative -- and I wish they would not.   But they are not the only ones perpetuating the misuse of terms.   The "mainstream media" also often say things like "John McCain says he would appoint judges like Scalia, Thomas, and Roberts, but Democrats would oppose conservative judges such as those."    What "progressives" usually mean when they express contempt for people like Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, George W Bush, Dick Cheney, etc., is that they totally detest the policies espoused by such people -- people we've become accustomed, by laziness and habit, to calling "conservative."    Randi Rhodes, Al Franken, and many other liberal talk show hosts express a good deal of respect for true conservatives such as Barry Goldwater, William F Buckley, and even, in some cases, Pat Buchanan.    What they truly detest is something quite different from true "conservatism."