You know, every now and then I find a Republican I can agree with. At least on some things. Listening to NPR's "Talk of the Nation" tonight, former (Republican) Senator from Missouri and UN Ambassador, and current Episcopal minister John Danforth talked about how a political leader can be very religious but how that doesn't need to intrude on how he makes political decisions. Or at least, how it's incredibly arrogant for him to let it. Basically he said that anyone in politics who presumes to be doing "God's work" ends up being self-righteous and can't govern with the humility required of a good leader (or legislator). I recommend listening to the show sometime.

Truthout.org also carries a great New York Times article by Danforth about how the Republican Party has abandoned its traditional causes and become merely the political extension of a religious movement. (Not that I'm a fan of all of the Repulican Party's traditional causes, but as long as I'm paying taxes for their salaries, I'd rather have my Congressmen arguing over the grand issues of states' rights and welfare reform than over whether or not to pass a law to keep some brain-dead lady in Florida attached to a feeding tube.)