As the Left has taken over liberalism, the notion that America should use its might to fight on behalf of liberty has been rejected. In his inaugural address, Kennedy said, "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty." Post-Kennedy leftists/liberals revile such talk, dismissing it as conservative and imperialist. A president who advocates unilateral American action against tyranny is no longer considered a moral liberal, but a reactionary cowboy.
As the Left has taken over liberalism, God and religion have been rejected as the source of America's moral values. In his inaugural address, President Kennedy said,
" . . . the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe -- the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God." Such words today come from George W. Bush and conservatives, not from a single prominent liberal.
That "left" and "liberal" have become indistinguishable is further demonstrated by the fact that The New York Times, the leading media voice of liberalism, identifies The Nation -- by its own definition a leftist journal, indeed, a radical one -- as "liberal." Likewise, the left wing of the Democratic Party is regularly referred to as the liberal wing of the party.
Want more proof of the leftist takeover of liberalism? Ask a liberal to name some major issues on which liberalism and the Left differ. Be prepared for silence.