Anyone wanting to know just how different America is from the UK should be watching CNN right now. We have 'The Compassion Forum' - a debate of sorts where Obama and Clinton are questioned, separately, about their religious views and how those views would affect their policies and decision making. To UK viewers who haven't really been exposed to much US politics or media, this must seem an odd and slightly embarrassing concept. Can you imagine Brown and Cameron putting themselves through this? Or that snake-oil salesman, Blair? It would be cringe-worthy for them and horrific to see for the viewers. But this is actually one of the most insightful election programmes I've seen.
You see, Americans really do believe. And they really want their leaders to believe. And even a hard-nose like Hillary does take the God thing seriously. The questions are intelligent - on a range of subjects - abortion, obviously, Darfur, Iraq, relations between faiths, human rights in China, and the division between faith and government. And rather than hectoring and accusing, Hillary, at least - Obama hasn't been on yet - is giving apparently honest and thoughtful answers to some extremely difficult questions.
It's another example of how much more open and transparent US politics can be, despite the attack ads and the spinning. There is so much probing into what matters and what the candidates really think, that the American people can never truthfully say that they didn't know what it was they were voting for. And I don't think you can say that in the UK, certainly not in the age of New Labour.
That was all a bit serious, wasn't it. Sorry.
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