From the "I never saw that coming" file

As others have noted, Bush's view of his policies in the context of a fateful spiritual conflict between good and evil does not really represent Christian doctrine. It actually more closely resembles an ancient Christian heresy called Manichaeism (...) that sought to divide all of reality into two simple categories, absolute good and absolute evil.

--Al Gore The Assault on Reason

From my early education I absorbed a strong prejudice that a militant reverence for reason is a primarily conservative virtue. So it was with some bemusement that I picked up Al Gore's The Assault on Reason. Of all the criticisms of George Bush I might have anticipated Manichaeism is about the last.

I'm pleased to see that this book is so far a decent defense of the role of reason and faith in balance within American society. I look forward to seeing where Al is going with this.