"Tak[ing] This Nation Back For Christ"

In a speech to fellow pastors, Mike Huckabee reportedly deckared "I hope we answer the alarm clock and take this nation back for Christ."

As any regular readers of this blog know, I am anything but hostile to the concept of religion as a part of public discourse. And those who are steeped in the Christian faith, like Huckabee, know exactly what he meant by the statement above.

The problem, of course, is that not everyone in America is, in fact, steeped in the Christian tradition. And for those without that background, the statement above sounds needlessly divisive, and alarmingly sectarian.

There is no inherent reason that a minister cannot -- or should not -- be elected President of the United States. But the kind of statements Huckabee made illustrate the pitfalls for those who want to try to do so.

It will be interesting to see whether, after this, lefties like Frank Rich will continue to have a hard time containing his enthusiasm for Mike Huckabee. If no criticism is forthcoming, it will be obvious that many on the left are playing the game of "supporting" their opponents' weakest candidate.