When it comes to politics, Who do we follow?

Lots of noise about Obama (the man I voted for) and his recent statements and political appointees (For Obama to win AIPAC he needed Rahm Emanuel to help Obama prove he was a bigger friend of Israel than Clinton and McCain. According to this MSNBC video
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_yA8J-oGQk) it was Rham who set AIPAC up for Obama to pledge his loyalty to AIPAC as you can see here:
http://www.aipac.org/about_AIPAC/Learn_About_AIPAC/2841_12181.asp

For example Obama has had to declare what Rahm Emanuel believes and what AIPAC continually pushes for... "Jerusalem is Israel's undivided capital". Contrary to international law and U.S. official policy.)

This is my response to the person who sent me this information:

... this is why I want to concentrate on following Christ more than politically lining up no matter who it is. Rham was a terrible choice, but obviously highly political.

Politics is exactly that - politics. Life and faith and love and care are values of the Kingdom. I think many of my friends and colleagues have it wrong... a state cannot simply be more "Christian" by lining up a handful of policies, especially during an election, and Obama looks and sounds so much more like someone we align with, but we need to remember we really don't know the people and players behind the scenes...

My suggestion to all of us:

1. refrain from demonizing those in public whom we really don't know... "love your enemies" comes to mind

2. believe in, hope and pray for the best in our leadership, especially now... the stakes are as high as they've ever been

3. interpersonal love, care, consistency, discipline, integrity, and faithfulness are far, far more important to God than "changing the world" - God is the one who is bringing in his kingdom, our job is living out "His righteousness" (the sermon on the mount is almost entirely about our personal lives - matthew 5-7)

4. Even though it sounds old-fashioned and out of vogue, there is no doubt if the Gospel means anything it is about responding to Christ's love and care in such a way that we become his dispensers of his mercy and grace: "Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness" (Romans 6:13) ...

AND THEN ALLOW THAT SPIRIT OF GENTLENESS AND DEPTH AND INTEGRITY SPILL OVER INTO THE PUBLIC SECTOR.

May those who follow the King take care to represent him well...