Yeah 'rational(?)-debate', those noisy uppity nudists have way too much influence in politics, big business, education, pollution, renewable energy.....

Those poor Christians - you just NEVER hear from them.

For those who maybe a bit slow - I am being ironic.

Ammonite, I think you have missed the point (and I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume it was accidentally).

If it is level of influence that dictates who we are worried about, then there are many groups that are of greater concern than Christians. As I said in my post, ALL politicians have a worldview that influences their decision making. What about the incredible influence of the unions? What about developers? What about Greenies? All large, cashed up, influential lobby groups.

I did not deny that Christians had influence, I just said that many others do too and they do not seem to get quite the same reaction. I would have written an identical response had the article been about any of the other groups I originally listed.

How are Christians even relevant to the roads debate? Do Christians have a "no good roads policy" I haven't heard about.

Secondly, whilst accepting some of Turnleftthenright points, BPT has a point about Rose's total inability to identify what a neo con is.

Neoconservatism... originated in the 1970s as a movement of anti-Soviet LIBERALS and SOCIAL DEMOCRATS in the tradition of Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, Humphrey and Henry ('Scoop') Jackson, many of whom preferred to call themselves 'paleoliberals.' .Neoconservatives, including many Jewish and Catholic intellectuals rooted in Cold War liberalism, clustered around publications such as Public Interest and Commentary and organizations such as the Committee on the Present Danger. They emphasized foreign policy, where they advocated aggressive anticommunism, U.S. global dominance, and international alliances. Although they attacked feminism, gay rights, and multiculturalism, "neocons" often placed less emphasis on social policy issues, and many of them opposed school prayer or a ban on abortion. In addition, many neocons supported limited social welfare programs and nonrestrictive immigration policies."

Briar Rose is talking about Paleoconservatives, when she refers to Palin and the born again religous lobbies of the US. They believe strongly in the importance of morality in society, and are generally anti-interventionst.

This division has become far easier to see recently in the events occuring in the Arabic World. Large numbers of sensible people from the left have grasped that democracy in the region is a worthy goal. And that the protection of that movement is a cause worth pursuing. This is where the Neocons were always coming from.

Old style republicans, however, can't see how Americas interest is advanced in this fight, and therefore have generally opposed it.