Mark, I don’t worry about religion so long as religion does not worry about me. As for the British Tory Party, there is, in fact, a tradition within it (kept at bay for many years by the Blessed Margaret) that is somewhat akin to the continental Christian Democrats and is clearly again on the ascendant. More generally, however, I’d be interested to know why, with the important exception of tax-cutting, you think that the GOP is not evolving in the direction that I suggest. Is it because it has become less ‘preachy’? Is it because it has been scaling back the reach of the state (for the purposes of these remarks, forget about the national security state, which is a different debate)? Is it because it has been busy reining in spending? Is it because it has stood up to corporate interests? I’d agree that the party still has, mercifully, quite a way to go before ending up in this particular well-intentioned Hell, and I’d agree that there are, mercifully, specifically American reasons why there would be crucial differences between American Christian Democrats and their European counterparts, but the overall direction is clear. Huckabee’s success will only accelerate the trend.