Republicans don't follow the Constitution in a great many areas. The only limited government they desire is one limited to control by Republicans. They don't accept the freedom of individuals to do anything that's peaceful. They don't believe in the inviolability of private property. They think traditional values should be legislated by government. They don't yearn for free enterprise in everything. And they confound the idea of national defense with national offense.

It is on this last point that I want to focus on.

The newest edition of "The Freedom Index: A Congressional Scorecard Based on the U.S. Constitution," has just been published by The New American, where I am a contributing columnist. The index "rates members of Congress based on their adherence to constitutional principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, national sovereignty, and a traditional foreign policy of avoiding foreign entanglements."