Looking at the behavior of the Republicans over the last two years, I no longer believe there is a functional difference between the career politicians of either party. They favor different special interests, but that is all.

Fewer than a half-dozen national-level Republicans appear to have any awareness of how grossly our government has exceeded its powers. Republicans are no more interested in getting government to butt out of our lives than are Democrats: They pay lip-service to limited government around election time, but their words and performances are no kin together.

Look at the results, not their excuses. Whether the donkeys or the elephants are in charge, government grows inexorably, and faster than our population or our economy. A party that promises only to slow down the growth of government—and fails even at that—is not good enough.