Since George W. exited the White House, many Republicans have slowly but surely attempted to rehabilitate the image of their pathetically unconservative party, writes Howard Rich at NetRightNation.  Having the GOP in power, they argue, wasn't "'all that bad' -- and certainly not as bad as the socialist hordes who have ostensibly pushed America to the brink of financial ruin over the last year." 

Indeed, the GOP has attempted to co-opt the fervor of the tea partiers, despite having engaged in exactly the same big government practices which both groups now loudly decry (I'm presently at CPAC, where Mike Pence just said that "Republicans in Congress are back in the fight and they're back in the fight on the right!"  Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it with a GOP majority.  It's easy to be principled when you're the underdog). 

Sadly, their attempts sometimes seem to succeed as tea party protesters quickly forget that the very GOP now courting them was just a few years ago using control of all three branches of the government to...well, to make the government more invasive and overgrown than ever.  As Rich concludes:

Was Bush a better steward of your tax dollars than Obama?

Yes – but that’s the problem. Getting mugged worse the second time around doesn’t absolve the first thief of his culpability.

And the first thief is very guilty indeed.  Republican revisionism and cozying up to those newly angry with the government is to be expected and will frequently be successful.  But in the liberty movement, at least, let's maintain memories more than two years long.  (Hat tip to Adam Bitely.)