"On the eve of the 2004 elections, some 40 percent of the electorate consisted of born-again Christians, and the world at large was in the grips of a massive religious revival,..."
Die the world have a massive religious revival a month ago? Does anyone know what he is talking about here?
Michael Ledeen rocks..
So which part don't you understand?
In the US 40 percent of the electorate call them-selves "born-again".
In the Middle-East Islamofacists like bin Ladin and the Taliban, as well as mullahs and Iyatollahs such as run Iran are making political moves based on the religious impulses that Islam provides.
I guess that's what he's talking about.
I believe the author of this piece slipped from current time, to a future moment in history when one will look back on this election in historical context.
The way he frames the sentence is the way one might 100 years from now after events have unfolded, when the moment in history that change occured is pinpointed and its participants dead.
I can understand why he'd speak in this "historical" tone. We are in midst of a revival of Christianity. "The Passion of the Christ" was only one sign of this movement, and it isn't limited to only America. To the extent this "revival" grows, the answer is unknown to us yet. Clearly the author is of belief this revival will be looked back upon as monumental.