"I am a Republican who believes in the very conservative principle of less government intrusion in my life, " she said.

NPR: Rallies Held To Protest ND Anti-Abortion Measures

It's a proposal that is fundamentally at odds with the conservative principle of individual responsibility, and is the latest in a string of public spats conservatives have had over the years and in this election with their party's standard bearer.

CNN: McCain faces conservative backlash over mortgage plan

Just as enforcing personal morality seems to be a unifying principle behind many conservative appeals for government interventionism, liberals seem to be driven by a desire to reverse perceived power imbalances.

FORBES: Power Imbalance: The Difference Between Liberal and Libertarian Philosophy

Conservative jurists in particular tend to defer to the principle of stare decisis, or established precedent.

ECONOMIST: The Supreme Court

Ashcroft is considered a man of principle, admired for his deep moral and conservative convictions.

CNN: Carnahan's death shakes Democrats' Senate hopes

Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie asked if the first minister accepted the principle of a graduate contribution to help fund higher education.

BBC: First minister's questions

However British Conservative MEP Sajjad Karim said he supported the new regulation in principle, and hoped that further negotiations could take place over the claw-back issue.

BBC: MEPs welcome new cross-border inheritance law

After two terms as governor, Reagan had matured into what Buckley considered a nearly ideal conservative politician: a shrewd leader as well as a man of principle.

NEWYORKER: Confounding Fathers

But appearing on the same programme, Conservative MP Kwasi Kwarteng accused Labour of "playing parliamentary games" rather than acting out of principle.

BBC: Labour 'repositioning' itself on Europe - David Miliband