IT AIN'T EASY BEING A CHRISTIAN CONSERVATIVE, OR, WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES

Miami Herald political columnist Beth Reinhard spent some time yesterday at the Reclaiming America for Christ conference sponsored by televangelist Dr. D. James Kennedy's Coral Ridge Ministries in Fort Lauderdale, and she basically confirmed what many have been saying: That conservative Christian political activists aren't happy over their choices in the 2008 presidential race.

One pastor in attendance was quoted as saying, "We obviously don't see Democrats as a viable option, and the Republican candidates have some weak stands on moral values. The evangelical vote by and large is not excited about what is taking place in the Republican Party.''

Many evangalicals are having to 1) hold their noses and support one of the front runners such as former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani or U.S. Senator John McCain, with whom they disagree on several major moral issues, 2) throw their support to a second tier candidate such as U.S. Senator Samuel Brownback or former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, or 3) simply stay at home.

Among several that Ms. Reinhard spoke with for today's piece, the wish is that someone such as former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich or former Florida governor Jeb Bush would be encouraged to run for the White House next year. Both men have already said they would not do so.

As for Dr. Kennedy, he is not present for the event this weekend. The Presbyterian minister is in a Michigan rehabilitation hospital, recovering from cardiac arrest suffered days after Christmas. The following week, he underwent a procedure to implant a pacemaker/defibrillator.