Quote of note:

the election was unique in the assertiveness of evangelicals and the overt appeals made by the candidates to the faithful. Religious conservatives have been a force in national politics since Ronald Reagan's 1980 campaign. But in the past, evangelicals participated in politics reluctantly, at the urging of such figures as Jerry Falwell and, later, Pat Robertson. This time, more than 26 million of them turned out -- 23 percent of the electorate -- in local church-based networks coordinated closely with the Bush campaign.

For the President, a Vote of Full Faith and Credit
Evangelical Christians Shed Their Reluctance to Mix Religion and Politics on Election Day
[P6: Reluctance?]
By Dana Milbank
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 7, 2004; Page A07

The 2004 presidential race and its aftermath have brought a new fusion between religion and politics.

For the first time, vast numbers of evangelical Christians showed their clout at the grass-roots level without being organized by a national group such as the Christian Coalition or the Moral Majority. And the candidates showed an increasing willingness to wear their faith on their sleeves -- not just President Bush but also Democratic nominee John F. Kerry, who was known to exhort audiences "Let us pray. Let us move our feet. Let us march together and let us lead America in a new direction, toward that mountaintop which has always been our destination."