Good enough men

Cathleen Falsani of the Chicago Sun-Times moves well beyond the pedantic slogan that God is neither a Republican nor a Democrat by touching base with her former roommates from Wheaton College. The result is a friendly survey of how evangelical students who attended the Harvard of evangelicalism and who still attend evangelical churches have reached very different conclusions -- from fear of four more years to a steadfast commitment to reelect Bush to not feeling able to vote for either candidate.

Here's how Falsani describes one of her friends:

Kathy is a stay-at home mom and philanthropist who lives in Manhattan, where she regularly attends an evangelical Protestant church.

Her faith deeply influences the choices she makes politically, particularly, "the part of my faith that manifests itself in caring for people with AIDS and viewing everybody as a creation of God with worth, which is a typical, more liberal thing," she said.

She thinks she'll vote for Kerry, but Ralph Nader has a certain appeal, too, she said.

"I don't trust any of them," she said. "I don't think a good man can be president. Jimmy Carter was a good man, but he was a horrible president."

I'd like to say this as one more week of fierce campaigning dawns, and especially before we can know how the election will turn out: I do think a good man can be president. I'm thankful for the democratic republic that gives us this choice between two good enough men. I'll pray for both these candidates during the week ahead. And I'll say a heartfelt prayer of thanks when it's all over, which I hope will be sometime on the night of Nov. 2.