Brian Reidl is wrong. I did not tell the Union Leader that the American people want big government and the GOP will provide it.

When I first became RNC chairman in 2003, we had a discussion about eliminating the Department of Education, which I fought for in the ’90s alongside Dick Armey and Newt Gingrich. We lost that fight, and as chairman of the RNC in 2003 I did not believe it wise to make another run at it since a majority of voters had made clear they do not oppose a federal Department of Education. As a party, you can not always keep fighting old battles.

I also defended passage of a prescription-drug benefit because Republicans had campaigned on it, but noted a GOP bill would be more market-oriented than anything Democrats would propose.

The Union Leader was fair enough to print my letter at the time objecting to their characterization of my comments. I wish Mr. Reidl had taken those objections into consideration before penning his article (especially after I contacted him directly about it when it appeared in print before being posted on NRO).

As I note in my new book, Winning Right: Campaign Politics and Conservative Policies, “The Republican Party is united when we are cutting spending to balance the budget, as we were doing in the 1990s. Our unity breaks down when members of congress focus on ‘bringing home the bacon.’

“Earmarking is a singular pursuit in a parochial interest. Budget cutting is a collective exercise in the national interest. The sooner we as a party again make a priority of cutting spending, the better off we’ll be.”

My own words capture my views better than someone characterizing someone else’s characterization of them. Having worked for Dick Armey, John Kasich, Haley Barbour, and George W. Bush, I’m proud of my history of fighting for lower taxes and fiscal discipline.

Ed Gillespie Washington, D.C.