"I believe in a wall between church and state so high that no one can climb over it.
"When religion controls government, political liberty dies; and when government controls religion, religious liberty perishes.
"Every American has the constitutional right not to be taxed or have his tax money expended for the establishment of religion.
"For too long the issue of government aid to church related organizations has been a divisive force in our society and in the Congress. It has erected communication barriers among our religions and fostered intolerance."
— -- Sam Ervin, Quotations from Chairman Sam: The Wit and Wisdom of Senator Sam Ervin (1973)
Don't underestimate Gergen
There's a reason Gergen was chosen as the balancing factor in Op-Ed political analysis with Mark Shields years ago on the MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour: while he clearly has an affection for what we over-generalize as "conservative" perspectives, he just as clearly has an appreciation of reality. Gergen does genuine, rational analysis; he doesn't present talking points as a story, his reporting remains noteworthy for how honest and objective it is. *thumbs up*