What Happened to Limited Government?

One of my favorite Republican shibboleths is that the GOP is the party of "limited government." That doesn't stand up to any serious scrutiny, however. The latest example of that comes from John Ashcroft, who is trying to implement the 2003 partial-birth abortion ban by subpoenaing private medical records of doctors and their patients. Thankfully, a federal judge has put a stop to that effort, for now. Regardless of how you feel about abortion, the federal government prying into confidential medical files should scare the shit out of you - particularly if you value "limited government."

Oh, and we're supposed to trust Ashcroft with a renewed Patriot Act? I don't think so, John.