US Politics: The Alternative (i.e., Funniest) Summary of the 1st Republican Debate (Adams)

8.00pm ET: The candidates are introducing themselves. Rick Santorum mentions he has seven children. Then Michele Bachmann beats him with five children – and 23 foster children! Really.

Mitt Romney has five sons and 16 grand-kids. Does that beat Bachmann? Good question!

8.03pm ET: OMG, Ron Paul beats them all by mentioning that he has delivered 4,000 babies! Which is a true fact because he used to be an obstetrician and gynecologist. (Although given his philosophy, wouldn't it be better if babies have to birth themselves?)

Poor Tim Pawlenty, he only has two children.

Herman Cain: "I am not a politician. I am a problem solver." But only two children and three grandchildren. Solve that problem Herman Cain!

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US Politics Analysis: Why The Tea Party Puts God on the Sidelines (Parsons)

Photo: Life It is the 18th-century Gadsden flag ("Don't Tread on Me"), not the Cross, that decorate Tea Party rallies and bumper stickers. There is good reason for this: the movement is not about religion, it is about politics.

At first glance, the Tea Party is not necessarily "secular". The Public Religion Research Institute's recent American Values Survey, “Religion and the Tea Party in the 2010 Elections”, found 47% of voters aligned with the Tea Party movement identified themselves as either part of the Religious Right or the conservative Christian movement.

Yet the social conservatism of the Religious Right is not, nor is it likely, to be front and centre in Tea Party politics. Where is God? The answer, surprisingly, is that he is peripheral..

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