Will 2012 be the year of the libertarian?

That's the premise behind this National Review piece that I recommend reading. One small part:

If Gary Johnson were president, he would immediately cut all federal spending — entitlements, defense, education, everything — by 43 percent to rectify our fiscal blunders. And he’d just be getting started. In a recent interview with National Review Online, the former governor of New Mexico — and a rumored presidential candidate — outlined his governing philosophy and some of its practical applications.

What is that philosophy? In two words: limited government. From 1995 to 2003, Johnson served as governor of the Land of Enchantment, where Democrats outnumber Republicans two-to-one. During his tenure, he vetoed more bills than the other 49 governors combined — 750 in total, one third of which had been introduced by Republican legislators. Johnson also used his line-item-veto power thousands of times. He credits his heavy veto pen for eliminating New Mexico’s budget deficit and cutting the growth rate of New Mexico’s government in half.