Wise Words

Yuval Levin and Jim Manzi respond elegantly to David Brooks' remarkably crude op-ed today. Manzi urges federalism and moderation on social issues, like abortion and marriage and science. Couldn't agree more. I'm also less convinced that David Cameron has actually squared the British conservative circle than David is, let alone the American one (I'm headed to Blighty soon to try and figure that out). This passage from Manzi is particularly fine:

Politics, properly considered, has limited aims. Attempts to use it to create heaven on earth, whether motivated by secular or religious thinking, usually backfire. Fortunately, most practical people realize this. We should be looking to build political bridges across moral divides by lowering the temperature of such debates, and keeping our expectations of what politics can accomplish appropriately humble.

Amen.