I’m certainly a supporter of the President’s AIDS initiative in Africa (which strikes me as a classic example of doing well by doing good), but reading what Michael Gerson has to say in that piece it’s difficult to avoid the conclusion that so far as Michael Gerson is concerned a “morally serious” person is someone who agrees with Michael Gerson. Mind you, I’m not sure quite how highly to rank “moral seriousness” (whatever that may mean) in the list of attributes that we need to look for in a potential president. I do know, however, that, offered the choice between a pious bungler and a competent sociopath, it’s better to opt for the sociopath.