I know almost nothing about Lamont except that he is very, very rich and that he just won the Democratic primary for the senate seat in Connecticut that Joe Lieberman considered his own. For all I know, Lamont may or may not be of the extreme left wing of the Democratic Party.

But this much I do know. Support for an illegal, unprovoked invasion of a foreign country is not a moderate position and opposition to that same invasion is not extreme.

Support for the invasion of Afghanistan - and most people in most countries did support it - was a moderate position. Support for the first Gulf War - and most people in most countries did support it - was a moderate position. Support for the invasion of Iraq - opposed by most people in most countries - was extreme.

It was a distraction from the important business of fighting terrorism. It destroyed the unprecedented global cooperation with and sympathy for America. It has weakened America’s standing in the world and has resulted in the radicalization of large parts of the Muslim world. The Middle East is in flames and the parts that are not burning are supposedly developing nuclear-powered flame-throwers. It turned out that fighting them over there and fighting them over there were not - Surprise! Surprise! - mutually exclusive and there are now rather more of them than there were before.

The people who are responsible for this immoral and disastrous policy - and the people who claimed that criticism of the policy was somehow dangerous or unpatriotic - should not be allowed to escape without consequences. One consequence for politicians in a democracy is that they can lose elections. Joseph Lieberman just lost and for that, for now, I am glad.

As unscientific as it may be to extrapolate from three data points, this heatwave may be *Strike Three against the climate change deniers - not that they would be troubled by such trivial distinctions as scientific vs non-scientific.

The tsunami only troubled faraway brown people. The hurricane was closer but was still mostly a problem for brown people. But, now that white people are getting high electricity bills, something must be done. Surely .

* assuming that Old Europe doesn’t count in the reckoning since they don’t even play baseball.

Andrew Sullivan posts a letter from someone who claims to be a Cultural Catholic.

Andrew doesn’t like the idea at all and proposes an acid test for being a Christian [a believer in the resurrection and the message of the gospels etc]. In a later post - in which a reader claims that a Catholic must believe everything or nothing. Andrew refines that to a belief in the creed. I presume (not being a Catholic myself) that Andrew is referring to the Nicene Creed.

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God. Born of the Father before all ages. God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God. Begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father. By Whom all things were made.

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. And He became flesh by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary: and was made man. He was also crucified for us, suffered under Pontius Pilate, and was buried. And on the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. And of His kingdom there will be no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, Who proceeds from the Father and the Son. Who together with the Father and Son is adored and glorified; and Who spoke through the Prophets. And one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. And I await the resurrection of the dead. And the life of the world to come.

Amen.

It’s interesting that both Andrew and his correspondent reject the idea of a cultural catholic, but each sets the bar for Absolute Catholic at a different height. By his correspondent’s rules, Andrew would be excluded.

When I lived in New York, Joe Faglione once asked me how, since I am not a Christian, I could justify celebrating Christmas. My answer, after a period of reflection, was that Christianity is woven through every element of the culture in which I live. You cannot understand western civilization unless you understand Christianity. I recited The Lord’s Prayer everyday at school and spoke the Nicene Creed in church. I don’t remember that I ever believed them. Non credo!
In this regard, I agree with Andrew - if you don’t believe in the resurrection, you are not a Christian. But the trappings of Christianity - decorating the tree, singing Once in Royal David’s City, ashes to ashes, til death do us part, reciting the creed - are a part of who I am.

Culturally, I am a Christian even if, by Andrew’s test and intellectually, I am not Christian.