But even though we accept some convervative values, we fight tooth-and-nail against the conservatives themselves. Why? This question has been rolling around in my mind lately. But this morning, I found an answer in the writings of C.S. Lewis. He argued that if you took an individual virtue, and made it your sole god, you turned it into a great evil. And the conservatives have done just this: they have taken an important virtue and enthroned it as the whole of morality.

And like any exercise in idolatry, the consequences are disasterous.

And Bush has long been a master of deliberately manipulating debate expectations:

Tonight, John Kerry kept me spellbound for 45 minutes.  He's on fire.  He's pounding the administration left and right, sounding presidential the entire time.  And he's hitting excellent notes--a humble faith in God, the old ideals of volunteer military service, a bright hope for the future.

And Kerry looks better, too.  He choose a decent guy for veep, made a wise strategic choice, and played the announcement well.  I still have concerns about Kerry, but this tips the scales well in his favor.

Lind claims that, essentially, the Democratic Party once had three major components.