Bill Foster's election seems healthy sign

I was heartened with the election of Bill Foster to replace Dennis Hastert in the U.S. House, particularly since our area is often so staunchly Republican.

I personally am non-partisan and will vote for the most intelligent and capable candidate.

Until the Bush era, I was Republican-leaning for what used to be their central tenet of fiscal conservancy.

Whatever the Republican Party has become under Bush, I am definitely not that.

What was a party based on fiscal conservatism now seems to be based on Christian conservatism.

At an event early in the campaign, Foster said we need to recognize the role religion is playing in the Iraq conflict.

This was a breath-taking and refreshing glimmer of clarity and reasoned thinking.

In Iraq, we have Sunni and Shia killing each other at will simply because 1,300 years ago they couldn't agree over who should succeed their prophet Mohammed.

Adding gasoline to the fire, we have our evangelical Christian president making no secret of his belief that he is doing God's will in the Middle East.

Kudos to Foster for having the courage to even mention the culpability of religion in world conflicts.

Could his election be the electorate recoiling from the failed policies and warped ideologies that the Republican Party now seems to represent?

Could it be that we really are saying that we want legislation and policy based on evidence and clear thinking instead of mythological world views?

I very much hope so.

Mike Burns

Geneva