Q: I was surprised by your endorsement of Harry Browne and the Libertarian Party. Doesn't a vote for the Libertarians simply take away a vote from the Republicans and the political change this country so desperately needs?

A: In a close race, you have a point. But look at it this way. A large vote for Harry Browne and the Libertarians sends a message to Washington: More and more Americans favor less government. The Libertarian Party is much the same as the old American Socialist Party. It was never much of a vote-getter, but it had tremendous influence. Norman Thomas, the perennial Socialist candidate, finally stopped running because he said the Democrats had adopted his platform.

The same could be said about Libertarians -- while Republicans are getting votes, it's the neo-Libertarians who are winning. For example, Dick Armey (R-TX), the House Majority Leader, is a neo-Libertarian whose intellectual hero is Ludwig von Mises. The Cato Institute, a free-market think tank in Washington, is the new up-and-coming player in Washington politics.