You make a fair and excellent point. President George W. Bush wanted a government just big enough to fit into your bedroom. Let's also not forget that under his Administration, we got that ridiculous Medicare Prescription Part B. Reagan tried to "starve the beast", but the beast would not die. He also crumbled in the face of strong opposition to shrink government; instead he and his bureaucrats expanded it.
There are three primary wings of today's Republican party, who are not exclusive to one another: the social conservatives, the military hawks and the limited government folks. The GOP has had plenty of candidates from the first two and precious little of the last. It's my hope the Tea Party becomes the force within the Republican Party to nominate a presidential candidate who proposes a truly limited government.