A: Oh, totally. A lot of people don't know this, but my Legislature was the most lopsided in America. We had 11 out of 100 House members who were Republican and 4 out of 35 senators who were Republican when I first took office (in 1996). It was more lopsided than any in the country, including Massachusetts.

Q: Despite you being a reasonably successful two-term governor, the Republican Party bosses didn't seem to like you or seem to appreciate your entrance onto the stage for the primaries. Why?

A: Part of it was that I had the audacity to suggest that there was a Washington-to-Wall Street axis of power that was ruining the party. Now, what I was excoriated for proves out to be that I was prophetic.

Q: In a line or two, what kind of a Republican are you?

A: I would describe myself as a "total conservative, a conscientious one." And that I believe that one doesn't separate the fiscal and social issues because they are tied together. The theme of my book was that if families and a culture start breaking down, it is going to lead to a larger government and far more expensive government.

The reason I point that out is that having been a governor, most of the cost of government really goes down to the breakdown of social structure. Single mothers, we know, are a basic cause of greater likelihood of educational deficiencies, health deficiencies, criminal activity. ... I'm not saying there are not wonderful single parents out there, but it's inescapable to recognize that when people are raised in fractured families, the likelihood goes up dramatically for poverty and all the things that are associated with it. When there's not a family there to pick up the pieces, government ends up doing it. Whether there are more cops on the street, people having to sandblast the graffiti off the bridges and roadways, counselors at school -- it just gets expensive.

Q: Were you at all punished by conservative Republicans for being too soft on social issues, in the sense that you were too willing to use government to address social issues?

A: I never wanted government to be the first line of defense. In fact, I think really what I got punished for was not having enough money to defend myself against the attacks of the people who had enough money to frame me in a way that was totally inaccurate. Once people started doing their own research and homework, I don't think they ever came to those conclusions.

For example, I would be hit for "Will he raise taxes?" OK. let's take a look at that. We had the worst roads in America, according to Truckers magazine. They were falling apart. So we took a bond issue to the voters and by an 80 percent margin the people of my state voted to rebuild our road system. I'd say that was pretty darn good political leadership to recognize that people wanted better highways 'cause it was safer, more economical. ... Rather than being busted for a fuel tax, which I think you ought to pay as you go, that made more sense to me. I wish the federal government would recognize that if they are going to do something, they ought to pay for it.

Q: Do you plan to run for president again?

A: The honest answer is I don't know. I really don't.

Q: If you did run again, would you stress anything different or would you shift or even change any of your positions?

A: I wouldn't change any positions because those are convictions. That's one of the problems I have with people who take a poll to find out what they believe this week. I think one of the reasons that I got as far as I did was because people knew that what I was saying was consistent with what I had always said and what I had always done.

Q: Your TV show is doing pretty well. You're on Fox with all those "crazy right-wingers." Do you enjoy entertainment enough to give up politics?

A: Well, right now I am just grateful that I have a job. I'm doing that (weekly show) and then every day I am doing twice-daily commentaries on the ABC Radio Networks. It's a terrific platform and I'm enjoying it immensely and I certainly could be content doing that for a long time to come. ... But I don't know. It's just too far to predict what it's going to look like in a couple of years.