I am finally back! I know many of you have written to me wondering where I disappeared to and I apologize for the abrupt absence, but I took on a major project that consumed all of my time and energy. I look forward to sharing more about that project as it develops further, but for now I am back in my “writing saddle” and anxious to share my thoughts and insights about the  unbelievable field of “social conservative” candidates that have dominated our political world of late.

It is difficult to know where to even begin this discussion, but I will dive right in. This current batch of 2012 GOP candidates has served up ample reason why so many of us dedicate our time to exposing the infusion of fundamentalist Christianity into American politics. Though they may have different perspectives with varying agendas – controlling the social actions and behaviors of all Americans is the underlying goal.

It does not matter how they try to spin themselves as our moral superiors who know what is best for us, the goals are all about Dominion. Dominion over a nation where “social values” will be (and are) the focus of legislation. We are seeing that focus in the effort they expend from local to national lawmakers who refuse to address the serious issues employment and the economy, but rather chip away at women’s rights, scattering fear by sounding the alarm that we live under threat of having Shariah Law become the law of the land, buddy up to big money and the list goes on.

The field of candidates is creating a huge conundrum for the political Christians. The true Dominionist candidates have self-destructed, leaving a field of social conservative candidates that are clearly considered to be “not the right kind of Christian.” The writing is on the wall, unless something dramatic occurs to change the dynamics we are most likely looking at either Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich as the eventual Republican nominee. Mitt is a Mormon and Newt is a newly converted Catholic – both considered to be as unchristian as a Wiccan, Pagan, Atheist or just a plain ol’ mainstream Christian according to the standards of Dominionists.

So what do they do? Who do they rally around? How do they reconcile their disdain for the religious beliefs of the top two Republican contenders? How did this happen? After all, they really had this in the bag! Palin in 2008. Sweeping wins in 2012. Perry, Bachmann, Pawlenty, Huckabee, Palin et al shaping up to dominate the GOP field in 2011/2012 – and then – BAM! In the blink of an eye they are now left staring in the face of two men that they really don’t like any more than President Obama.

We have heard over the last several months individual testimony from the now fallen Dominionist candidates that they were each told, directly from God, that they were the chosen…the elect…God’s pick to run for President of the United States. And yet, none of them survived.

In the upcoming weeks and months we are going to see a remarkable campaign of rationalization by these Political Christians as they pull out all the stops in their efforts to fit the square pegs of Mitt or Newt into their round holes of neatly black and white world of Christian supremacy in America. Michelle Goldberg wrote at the Daily Beast about the sudden embrace that evangelical voters in Iowa are giving Newt – no matter what his past sins were.

If they didn’t scare me so much I would find this mildly amusing, but there is nothing funny about these people. Their power clearly does not lie in their ability to produce an informed, prepared, knowledgeable candidate – or they would not be faced with having to decided between two evils. All their money, power, influence and shenanigans have failed them. But are they really out of the game?

Over the next few months as we slide into the 2012 election year I will write about what my co-researchers and I observe. We understand them well enough to know that they will manipulate every angle to turn this to their advantage. From back room meetings with the frontrunners (and eventually the nominee) like the meetings that happened recently in Florida with Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich, to the influence of congregants across the country as politics are preached from the pulpit aiming their arrows at the rights of women, gays and immigrants…these men will have to conform to the demands of this enormous voting bloc.

We all saw how well that worked when McCain sold his soul to the devil in a desperate attempt to sleep in Lincoln’s bedroom! Palin was one heartbeat away…we can’t take our eyes off the ball.