Foreign policy:

According to libertarians, U.S. foreign policy is "little more than welfare for nations," asserting that the $14 billion per year the federal government spends on foreign aid more often than not hurts developing nations. They advocate a foreign policy that focuses on strengthening U.S. businesses, helping them build up their positions abroad.

Maher supports an active U.S. foreign policy, saying that America's position in the world "is the price we must pay" for being the most influential nation on earth. Long distrustful of big business, Maher believes efforts to strengthen American companies with government subsidies amount to corporate welfare.

Abortion:

Libertarians take no firm stand on abortion, saying that people "can hold good-faith views on both sides." However, the party does advocate ending all federal funding for abortions and other prenatal services. "It is particularly harsh to force someone who believes that abortion is murder to pay for another's abortion," they say.

Maher is staunchly pro-abortion rights. He believes the ultimate freedom from government is the right to decide what to do with one's body. On a recent show, Maher applauded a Dutch "abortion boat" that provides abortions to women in Ireland -- where the procedure remains illegal.

Environment:

Libertarians argue that the federal government is a far greater polluter than oil companies, chemical companies and nuclear power plants. They criticize federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, saying they are large, ineffective creations that do little to ensure public safety. Instead, libertarians advocate the privatization of public lands by a combination of stewardship organizations and commercial industry.

Maher has railed against proposals to drill for oil in Alaska's wildlife refuge. He has spoken in favor of the Kyoto treaty on global warming and criticized President Bush's opposition to it. During his July 24 monologue, Maher made his environmental position clear by saying that the Bush administration "has never been caught in a sex scandal -- unless you count raping the environment." And Maher believes government regulation of clean air and water is one of the cornerstones of what government is meant to do.

Drugs:

Libertarians believe the war on drugs has been lost and is impossible to win. Current drug laws are a "rerun of Prohibition," they say. The party believes citizens should take responsibility for themselves and asserts that the majority of drug users do so peacefully and recreationally.

Maher agrees. Indeed, it's on the issues of drugs, pornography and prostitution that Maher is most vocal against government involvement. The Democratic and Republican parties are in favor of current drug laws, though the recent passage of state medicinal marijuana propositions and legalization overtures by some Democrats and Republicans may eventually alter these positions.

Quietly, Maher concedes his attempt to cloth himself in libertarian ideals hasn't been easy. Nor does his staunch advocacy of the death penalty ("I don't know why every life is so precious") make him a prototypical liberal. However, Maher clearly approaches most issues with a decidedly center-left bent. His views are much closer to Clinton's than they are to Browne's.

So if being politically incorrect is about telling the truth, why doesn't Maher just say it?

He isn't much of a libertarian.

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