I think it's more "Rebel without a cause" (which is but a short step from open nihilism). Whatever else you old Christian fogeys have come to grudgingly endure, abortion is still sure to get a rise out of you. That means it remains a golden ticket to being a "rebel".

I was originally going to write I disagreed with you, but upon reflection I can see that putting such a mark on oneself as a binding to something greater is what a sacrament is. The difference is that I think it's more about rebellion than sacrifice.

A few random thoughts of my own. First, so far so good for Palin. Loved her speech. Especially this line: A ship in harbor is safe, but that's not why the ship is built. Politics isn't just a game of competing interests and clashing parties. The people of America expect us to seek public office and to serve for the right reasons. And the right reason is to challenge the status quo and to serve the common good.

I clicked the Hewitt link and read the whole thing and am still confused. Is that really a direct Obama quote? If so the McCain team needs to get it on billboards all over the country – or at least in the swing states. Or maybe one billboard with his quote, and another about a half mile down the road with Palin’s. The crazy thing about what Obama said (or may have said) is that it doesn’t even square with the devilishly clever Democratic line that abortion should be “safe, legal, and rare.”

Likely just wishful thinking on my part, but the Republican ticket seems to be getting its swerve on, and the Democratic side is startling to look a little inept. And I really like the “Country First” tagline for McCain and Palin – it just seems to fit them perfectly.

AOG,
I think I'm more right than you, but it is a fascinating aspect of our culture and time that it's getting harder and harder to be a "rebel."

How frustrating it must be when sex drugs and rock n' roll is something your grandparents believe in. And the most decadent and silly piece of "art" is accepted and sold with ease.

It really would be an act of mercy to bring back some sort of strict puritanical society, just so rebels would have something to push against without having to participate in the current "arms race" of ever more extreme rebellions. Mutilating and piercing oneself must especially be a tough thing to be playing one-upmanship with, the poor creatures...

Mike,
Obama really said it. There's video floating around. My guess is that the campaign won't have to play it up--the people who care will hear about it.

You're right, "Country First" is a good line and fits them in a way it wouldn't fit, say, Bush or Romney.