I more and more believe that Nov 7th marks the line between the end of a type of American politics that began in the early 80s and the birth of a new political era that is strange and interesting and has Obama as its leading symbol. The fact that Pastor Rick Warren invited Obama to speak to his church is a sign of the new times and a strong indication that the old marriage between Republicans and white evangelicals is heading for the rocks.

You won’t believe this, I can’t believe this, but after Obama pleaded for tolerance on the global AIDS crisis, Warren’s congregation gave him “a standing ovation.” Until now, a month after the mark of change, few of us could have imagined tolerance and white evangelicals existing in the same room.

When Rick Warren, one of the nation’s most popular evangelical pastors, faced down right-wing pressure and invited Sen. Barack Obama to speak at a gathering at his Saddleback Valley Community Church about the AIDS crisis, he sent a signal: A significant group of theologically conservative Christians no longer wants to be treated as a cog in the Republican political machine.

The Good Old Party will ultimately, and correctly, blame Bush for this political disaster. His stupidity is so loud, so disturbing that it finally woke up a section of America that was in the deepest sleep.