Symbolism over Substance

President Bill Clinton, in his State of the Union Address on January 23, 1996 said:   "But we are bound by a faith more powerful than any doctrines that divide us---by our belief in progress, our love of liberty and our relentless search for common ground."   This statement spotlights the motivation which binds the political liberal to his religious counterpart---the change agent: an irrational fixation on unity. The liberal bases his desire for unity upon sentimental allegiance to a vague ideal. To achieve his goal of unity, he will sacrifice any doctrine, passing it off as "progress." Those views that do not fit into his restructured system are branded as "tradition." Behind his actions is a quest for liberty and freedom---i.e., freedom to alter doctrine and relax restraint. This is quintessential liberalism: symbolism over substance. ---Dave Miller