Two Nations Under God

Some gems from Tom Friedman, a columnist I loved two years ago but have frowned upon since. Today's column has some incites into a few key modern political realities:

"My problem with the Christian fundamentalists supporting Mr. Bush is not their spiritual energy or the fact that I am of a different faith. It is the way in which he and they have used that religious energy to promote divisions and intolerance at home and abroad. I respect that moral energy, but wish that Democrats could find a way to tap it for different ends.

'The Democrats have ceded to Republicans a monopoly on the moral and spiritual sources of American politics,' noted the Harvard University political theorist Michael J. Sandel. 'They will not recover as a party until they again have candidates who can speak to those moral and spiritual yearnings - but turn them to progressive purposes in domestic policy and foreign affairs.'

I've always had a simple motto when it comes to politics: Never put yourself in a position where your party wins only if your country fails. This column will absolutely not be rooting for George Bush to fail so Democrats can make a comeback. If the Democrats make a comeback, it must not be by default, because the country has lapsed into a total mess, but because they have nominated a candidate who can win with a positive message that connects with America's heartland."

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