Yes, they can. Now, we hope, they will.

Obamalamadingdong! What a day! I was lucky enough to be able to watch the whole speech and parts of the build up here at work. I'm a born, eternal optimist, but whatever your mental persuasion you must concede that it was a momentous occasion and one to be celebrated. It seems like most of the world has.

The picture at left shows the points in his speech I was most delighted about; Stephen Fry agrees! The commitment to science and shout-out to atheists were compensation for all the grumpy muttering I did during the religious bits.

The word 'curiousity' demands further attention. It's a wonderful human quality worth remembering - and using - but I think it's particularly interesting in this political context. Labels in politics are nebulolus and endlessly argued, but I think most would agree that conservatism, even by its very name, implies a desire to preserve the status quo. At best, this can mean defending ideals, values and systems that serve us well. At worst, it can mean a blind opposition to change. In this latter case - indeed, in *any* case - I think it's wise to be curious about other ways to do things. If we never inquire, we'll never know. If we never wonder, we'll never discover.

We've had compassionate conservatives. Curious conservatives next?