When asked by the Huffington Post's Will Mari about what the GOP needs to do to reverse course, Mike Huckabee responded: "Republicans need to be Republicans. The greatest threat to classic Republicanism is not liberalism; it's this new brand of libertarianism, which is social liberalism and economic conservatism, but it's a heartless, callous, soulless type of economic conservatism…"

Of course, John McCain has his problems with small government, as well. As one example, this recent Economist article about Bob Barr asks:

The anti-government wing of the party that was launched to its forefront by Barry Goldwater in 1964, championed by Ronald Reagan, and then dispirited by eight years of George Bush is worried by Mr McCain. Could some of these voters defect to the Libertarian Party this year?

A recent Reason magazine cover featured this title: "Be Afraid of President McCain."

The best small-government defense of McCain I've seen so far seems to be missing one critical ingredient: actually defending McCain's positions from a small-government perspective.

John McCain, imperfect as he may be, sees a very different America. It's the same country whose liberties he was willing to give his life for in Viet Nam. We may not agree with him on every issue, but we can't disagree that a love for liberty is at the central core of this man's being.

When the writer wasn't directly apologizing for McCain's big-government tendencies, he resorted to the tired old argument that McCain isn't Obama.

As Barr has previously stated, McCain doesn't espouse "anything resembling the philosophy of smaller government" that Barr supports.

The Barr campaign and the Libertarian Party is about providing an honorable place where people concerned about limited government, the Constitution and privacy issues can turn. Obviously, these good folks are no longer welcome in the Republican Party.