This just proves my premise, that European conservatism and American conservatism aren't even remotely related. For the Europeans, conservatism means a nationalist form of socialism rather than an internationalist form. For Americans, conservatism means an individualist philosophy (the government should do only what individuals making free choices can't) rather than a statist philosophy. So when we say "conservative" here and there, we're not just talking apples and oranges, we're talking apples and pickup trucks.
American conservatives do not differ from socalists in believing that they can build a society that will last forever. But, historically, every society in the history of Man has eventually failed.
With notable few exceptions (e.g. Russell Kirk), American "conservatism" isn't conservative at all. It is mercantilist liberalism, and shares liberalism's fixation on individual liberty as the sine qua non of human existence.