Naive Frustrated Evangelical Book Review

In David Kuo's Tempting Faith, the author comes to the astonishing discovery: Religion gets debased when it mixes with Politics. I started reading this book because I thought it was going to be an eye-opening expose of how the Bush Admin was using religion for political gain. It was about that, but in the end, I kept thinking, "Okay and...?" Kuo is so naive that I felt little compassion for his heartbreaking discovery that our political leaders are often disingenuous. I also found myself annoyed by his snarky tone regarding Democrats. I think the book is supposed to show a Pilgrim's Progress (as it were), but I still get the impression that just under the surface, Kuo is convinced that somehow the Republicans are actually more moral (like he just got stuck with a bad batch) than their more liberal counterparts.
Two things I did find interesting/challenging. First, he advocates the same proposal that the Mennonites put forth: take a 5 year sabbatical from politics. Not because we want to show to US culture how bad it is, or how much power the church possesses politically (collectively speaking), but because we need to purify ourselves and make sure that we don't allow ourselves to fal into the same mistakes that he made. Secondly, he rightfully pointed out how imbalanced the African-American churches are toward the Democratic party- allowing their candidates to come speak in the church, but when Republicans do this in white evangelical churches, media (and liberal) alarms go off. It is true there is a double standard. I'm still not sure whether I agree with him on the political moratorium, but I can agree on a church-candidate prohibition. No candidates ought to speak in any churches (and let's get rid of those damn voter guides also!) I think just doing this would help us cut the respective cords that both sides of the Church: liberal & evangelical- have allowed themselves to be united by to the body politic.
I suppose it's easy for me to castigate Kuo- I've ever been that close to power myself. It's easy for me to point fingers and throw stones, but who knows how I would have reacted if I had served in the Clinton White House (or the Obama)? This last occurred to me after I read today's concluding prayer:

Almighty and ever-living God, look kindly on us in our weakness. Stretch out your right hand and protect us with your majestic power. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.

pax, jefe