I think it would do the country good to bust up the hold the religious right has on the Republican Party.

I agree, except that the religious right never really had a hold on the Republican party. They just thought they did. It was actually the other way around. They were suckers being played by Karl Rove and the Republican party.

They've finally figured this out, but they will never vote for Democrats because the Democratic platform reminds them too much of the teachings of Jesus that they haven't been following, which causes them a lot of internal conflict and guilt. Plus they've been indoctrinated to never admit they might be wrong.

They are marginalized at this point, and no longer a factor in national politics. Hopefully, they will get back to the mission they were on before they were led down the wrong path by the GOP, and be a force for social good, as in, like, you know, helping the poor, the sick, and the needy instead of the wealthy oil men and war profiteers.

I don't remember who or if The Huckster was an appretnice to an televangelist. I know that he went to a Baptist college in Arkansas -- Ouchiata in Henderson-- that may not be spelled correctly -- it's the equivalent of Carson-Newman, with perhaps better programs because there's only one Baptist college in Arkansas. Really. Hard to believe, but they also have the very conservative Church of Christ school in Batesville.

Anyway, Huck majored in radio/TV or Communications or something like that. And he did radio, not TV. But then he worked his way up in the pastoring to a large church in Texarkana, and becoming chair of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. Then he quit and started trying politics. Lost his first race in a bid for the Senate. Then my friend Nate Coulter royally screwed up in the race for Lieutenant Governor against Huckabee when the old lt gov was promoted to gov after Bill became president. So, Huck becomes lt gov, and then the gov, Jim Guy Tucker, got caught up in the Whitewater fiasco that had a spider web in every single inc h of the state and was indicted on something or the other that had to do with another investment, and said he would resign.

So it was all supposed to take place with Tucker giving a good bye speech, and then Huck being sworn in and giving an inagural speech, but then at the last minute Tucker decided he was going to stay until his trial. It was more entertaining and sad that Jan. 31 at the Knox County Commission. After hours of back and forth, Tucker signed a resignation, and Huck was sworn in -- and here we are a dozen years later and the crazy man is running for president and doing well.

I keep thinking Nate could be running if he hadn't had his stupid dog in a commercial. Everybody made fun of it. There were other reasons he lost, and then he left politics and got divorced. But if not if a few votes the other way and no whitewater, Huckabee probably would be a televangelist now.

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

Obama doesn't have a muslim connection. This is a fabrication.

Karl Rove is an avowed atheist. I know of nothing that better illustrates Rnady's point. Evangelicals have been had. They will be had again and again. It's that "Fishers of men" thing. Goes with the territory.

Some of what has been said about Obama is fabricated, it is true however that his father and stepfather were Muslim. I wonder if Obama's mother married two Muslim men and didn't convert, or what. Obama was also raised partly by his grandparents. I think he had a rather strange upbringing. A good book to read on fundies being had is "What's the Matter with Kansas." Not all of them know they've been had though, but some do.

I think some Mormons are creepy, I think Baptists are creepy in some ways, I think many things about Islam are creepy. I think Obama is great and this Oprah thing is way exciting. I like Obama, Edwards and Clinton. But if one can ask about the quirks of other candidate's religions it should be OK to ask about Islam too. Good god, at least with all the Baptist's submission to their husbands no sector of Baptist must cover their faces, legs maybe, but not faces. It should be ok to ask about Muslims too. I never , not once, said his background was a disqualification, just said I was curious.