 in 1964 when I was 12. And what appealed to me about Goldwater was the idea that extremism in defense of liberty is no vice, moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue. That was Goldwater's line, and it captured my heart. In my 12-year-old heart, I thought he was right. And it went from there. But I was always frustrated by conservatism because I couldn't find a definitive theoretical account of what it really was.