Too much feigned astonishment here, on both sides, when considering the source: all politicians feel the need to identify themselves with religious yahoos because a substantial portion of the population ARE religious yahoos. This is not the fault of the politicians, or even the political system. It is a problem with the American public, a congenital flaw that you would expect from some medieval raghead republic, but certainly not the leaders of Western Civilization.

There is little difference between the Rev Wright and the Rightwing Revs, they are both the key to the votes and support of mean little single-issue racist fanatics and political extremists who are in essence indistinguishable from one another in intensity or error, they just happen to come from opposite ends of the spectrum. I doubt either McCain or Obama really care about these creeps, but in our demon-haunted nation they feel the need to pretend they do.

When I'm dictator I'm going to pass a law that says any politician who reveals his religious afffiliation or beliefs will be immediately disqualified from political office. Everyone is entitled to their superstitions, but why should the rest of us be forced to listen to them?

Then again, when I'm dictator, we won't need any more politicians.