Jeff Sharlet: Sam “Swedish Fruit” Brownback is one step closer to the White House he’ll never visit as anything but a guest of his bi-partisan triangulation buddy Barack Obama. The press was fascinated by Obama’s visit to “Purpose Driven” Rick Warren‘s Saddleback megachurch to discuss AIDS; less press noticed that Brownback made a similar journey, stepping from the far right to Warren’s center right church — arguably as much of a campaign stop for a man who is actually the frontrunner in his race.

For the Republican nomination? No — for the position of “Senator No,” as Brownback’s old hero, Jesse Helms was called. Brownback is running not so much for president, I suspect, as for the leadership of the conservative branch of the G.O.P., and with Rick Santorum busy reconsidering his views on dogs, and George Allen left to play football by himself, Brownback looks like the man to beat. As such, he deserves more press.

And I’m happy to give it to him, on Air America’s “Rachel Maddow Show,” yesterday, December 4.

I’ll also be talking about Christian conservatives and their vision of the American past tomorrow, Wednesday December 6, at 4:30 est, on the “Michelangelo Signorile Show,” which is free, sort of, on Serius, via Signorile’s site.