A somewhat prominent pro-Bush liberventionist is convinced, based on one single article I wrote for LRC, that I'm a "leftist pacifist," a "Bush-hating liberal" and not a libertarian at all. He has lashed out at me and said I had better "come out of the closet" and stop pretending I'm a libertarian, presumably along with all the many other "fake libertarians" who, under the facade of promoting limited government and greater liberty, are actually opposed to empire, the police state, and the American way of life.

So, I've decided to confess. I'm not a libertarian at all. All my talk about abolishing the income tax; opposing the Democratic Party; supporting the right to bear arms; restoring a free market and sound money; stopping the nationalization of the economy; shutting down the EPA, the FCC, and the FDA; upholding private property; and opposing the fanatical anti-technology strain in environmentalism must have all been a lie. My criticisms of Clinton, LBJ, Wilson, Truman and FDR have all been dishonest too, I find myself forced to say.

Indeed, I think what our government should be doing is further nationalizing education, expanding the welfare state and Great Society, increasing regulations on the economy, greatly amplifying agricultural subsidies, regulating campaign finance to rid of "soft money," erecting all sorts of trade restrictions, and abandoning all fiscal restraint along the lines of a new, 21st century Keynsianism. I think we should expand government far more than we saw under Clinton, Bush I and Reagan. Under no circumstances should we repeal America's many gun laws or reduce the bureaucracy. I want to see the US have the biggest government in world history. Which is why, along with coming out of the closet as a leftist, I'm also coming out of the closet in formal support of our Great Leader, George W. Bush.

Sheesh.