Amen.

Of all the general election votes I never got to cast, perhaps the one I think would have been the finest would have been for Gary Hart, the best of a long list of unsuccessful primary contenders I've lined up behind over the years. I've felt that way for a long time, and feel it more after reading his New York Times op-ed this morning.

He takes on the "values" question and points out in clear, convincing terms that religious values, far from being the exclusive province of the radical fundamentalist wing of the GOP, are central to the liberal vision.

Liberals are not against religion. They are against hypocrisy, exclusion and judgmentalism. They resist the notion that one side or the other possesses "the truth" to the exclusion of others. There is a great difference between Cotton Mather and John Wesley.

There is a strong tradition of faith, of many faiths, in American culture, but at it's best it has nothing to do with the American Taliban that claims credit for the re-election of George Bush. Hart is eloquently on point...

The religions of Abraham all teach a sense of personal and collective humility. It was a note briefly struck very early by Mr. Bush and largely abandoned thereafter. It would be well for those in the second Bush term to ponder that attribute. Whether Bush supporters care or not, people around the world now see America as arrogant, self-righteous and superior. These are not qualities of any traditional faith I am aware of.

If faith now drives our politics, at the very least let's make it a faith of inclusion, genuine compassion, humility, justice and accountability. In the words of the prophet Micah: "He hath shown thee, O man, what is good. What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" And, instead of "O man," let's insert "O America."

(tip o' the hat to John McCreery at Best of the Blogs for the pointer)