WASHINGTON DC -- The disgust and contempt many people have for government today was best epitomized in my mind by a cartoon I saw a few years back. Two guys sitting at a bar. Drinker #1 says to Drinker #2: "Do you think politicians should have term limits?" Drinker #2: "Nope. They should get life without parole."

While this perfectly expresses my temperament on any given day, in a reflective mood I tend toward more baroque attitudes about government. The rhythms as well as the subtleties of The Federalist Papers strike me as the political equivalent of Shakespeare. Like Shakespeare, you need to get the hang of it before it reads easily and moves your soul. Government of this design is a noble and occasionally even uplifting thing, in no small part because Publius, the nom de plume of The Federalist's three authors, understood the philosophical basis for combining sufficient power with limits on the scope of government.

So it was with keen interest that I picked up a recent book entitled New Federalist Papers that attempts to assume the mantle of Publius. The latter day Publius also comprises three authors: Columbia University historian Alan Brinkley, Berkeley political scientist Nelson Polsby, and Stanford law professor Kathleen Sullivan.

The subtitle of the book - Essays in Defense of the Constitution - is meant to harken back to the argument between Publius and the anti-federalists who opposed the Constitution of 1787. But this is highly mischievous, and the first sign of trouble. For who is against the Constitution today? Conservatives, that's who.

"We see substantial danger," the authors say, "in the current effort to diminish and relocate federal power." Hence, the authors deliver broadsides against term limits, the line item veto, constitutional amendments of any kind, balanced budgets, and the effort to end quotas. They even defend unfunded mandates. Campaign finance reform, naturally, is a must.

There are lots of howlers in these pages. Space doesn't permit a top ten list. Number one comes from Brinkley: "The frenzy of deficit reduction in the last two decades has left public agencies with greatly reduced budgets and far fewer personnel." What planet is Brinkley on?

Needless to say these folks fail utterly to reflect any of the substance of the original Publius, let alone the magisterial style. The New Federalist Papers represents a lashing out against the vast citizenry that is throwing sand in the gears of the political class with reforms such as term limits and devolution. The political class, which no doubt privately views elections as a nuisance and talk radio as a menace, thinks the government belongs to them. The original Publius set out "to refine and enlarge the public view." Today's political class simply wants to continue the grand bamboozle.

-By Steven Hayward