The latest National Review editorial suggests concrete steps for Bush to take in order establish credibility on spending. They're good ideas, but I predict Bush will implement most of them halfheartedly. The reason is that Bush doesn't really believe in small government. I remember the 2000 primaries. Bush campaigned as a "compassionate conservative" and, in response to McCain, as a "reformer with results." "Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem," was not a rallying cry. Bush has definitely implemented some of the reforms you'd expect from somebody with an MBA, but true to his beliefs, he has not shrunk the government, and he won't anymore than he has to. Instead, Bush does things like give Medicare recipients more choices, even if those choices are federally subsidized. This displeases us small-government types, but, as I've said before, we can still look forward to Social Security reform, which, if Rove knows what's he doing, will be a major campaign issue this year.