So-called ethical religions (and New Age fads as well) fall flat in the end because they try to ignore both the darker mysteries and travails of human existence and/or the reality of powers greater than ourselves. In a word, they are shallow. The old-school atheists like Camus took matters of faith much more seriously and while I disagree with their conclusion they at least gave the question the profound consideration it deserves.

I haven’t seen or read Obama’s speech but there’s no doubt his writers were working overtime to counter the negative impression he made with his initial remarks. Big deal – I don’t discount the importance of what the POTUS says on these occasions but there’s a lot more to the office than being the world’s most visible talking head. Marc Ambinder is a condescending fool if he thinks anyone who actually believes in “the spirit of America” is going to be dazzled by the artful use of “familiar, comforting tropes”. The fact that he is suggests that his own conception of that spirit is just as trivial and cynical as Obama’s.