While at sea I have read Edwards book and have found it thoroughly thought provoking, stimulating, refreshing and a very good read. Once more I recommend it to folk who prize our republic and want to see it flourish. I am as enthusiastic about his book as I was of Fareed Zakaria’s book, The Post American World. These are two conservatives we need to pay attention to no matter what our political affiliation may be. They know the strengths and the weaknesses of conservatism and the appalling state modern Republicanism has fallen. I find Edwards advise to his own ilk, conservatives equally helpful to liberals in a common search to see our democracy revive itself and to make politics again a respected and vital part of American culture. The political quagmire we find ourselves in benefits only very few and may have sown the seeds of destruction of our democratic experiment.

I grow very weary of folk, who seem the vast majority, that only complain about politics and politicians and take no responsibility for our current preposterous position. As I have often told my parishioners over the years, “it is easy to complain, it is hard and takes are work to fix problems.” As citizens we need to be problem solvers not just chronic curmudgeons. It is our nation and our responsibility to be informed and involved in the political structure, but few seem to be either.

As I have written before we need both of our political parties and their ideologies to find and discern the truths we need to be responsible citizens. Both parties have their strengths and witnesses, and we need to appreciate various forms of views. Read these books and read the books of liberals as well. The educated ones and informed ones are fairly easy to discern. That is why I like President Obama. He brings far more to the table than just a creative means of raising money, an eloquent speaking manner and the ability to win an election. He is a student of the constitution, where he has his degree. And he expresses his inclusive and widespread views very well in his book, The Audacity of Hope, which informed citizens, should read as liberals should read the books mentioned here.

A final point about Edwards I find most illuminating and hopeful. He ends his book speaking about his wife Elizabeth Sherman. Note she retains her own name. She is an ardent Liberal with a degree in political science and a doctorate in sociology and a Democrat. It is obvious that they love and care for each other in their private lives provide a wonderful example of how folk of differing views and beliefs can live together in diversity and harmony. May we learn much from them.