Although mainly identified with that "other city" across the state (you know, St. Louis), John Danforth represented the Kansas City citizenry for decades as a U.S. senator and as Missouri attorney general.

Unlike so many other state attorneys general and members of Congress, Danforth, a Republican, tended to stray from nasty partisan politics. Since his retirement from the Senate, Danforth, an Episcopal minister as well as a lawyer and politician, has regularly taken Republicans and Democrats to task for behavior that places party politics above universal good.

After voluntarily leaving the Senate in 1995, Danforth accepted appointments from White House Republicans from time to time, including ambassador to the United Nations and envoy for peace in Sudan. But except for defending his protégé, Clarence Thomas, during U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings through today, Danforth has generally eschewed partisan controversy.

Enough is enough, however, he must have decided. The harsh partisanship of President Bush, his followers, plus a variety of other Republicans and quite a few Democrats has led Danforth to write a book with the theme of pulling together to strengthen the United States so the nation can in turn promote world peace.

If all that sounds too good to be true and simultaneously wishy-washy, it is not. Danforth oozes sincerity and good sense as he excoriates "Christian conservatives" (he names James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, Ralph Reed and Pat Robertson, among others) for corrupting religious doctrine inside the political marketplace to insert government where it generally ought to have no business: in personal abortion decisions, end-of-life determinations, stem-cell research protocols and same-sex marriages.

"The error of the Christian right is that in its attempt to codify the requirements of faith in a legislative program, it crowds out the demands of the Love Commandment," Danforth says. The Love Commandment states, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they might. ... Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself."

The self-styled conservatives, Danforth says, have placed law above love, saying they can define when life begins and ends. "The government action they advocate would block early stage stem cell research, and it would criminalize scientists who are trying to find cures for diseases that cause untold human misery and death."

Given Danforth's relative tolerance, what are his views on gay marriage, an issue that the former senator says is unmatched "as an example of the emotional heat caused by the mixture of religion and politics"?

The way Danforth explains his slow evolution on gay issues is heartwarming in its candor and encouraging in its lack of cynicism for personal political gain. During his Senate years, Danforth says, he never wanted to offend gays.

"Still, they were objects of public contempt, so as a politician concerned about his own popularity, I did not want to be seen as their friend. This was so even at the end of my political career after I had announced that I would not run for re-election. I had nothing to lose as far as political support was concerned, but I never lost my craving for popularity."

Gradually, however, as gay constituents came out of the closet and met with Danforth publicly, he grasped their arguments about discrimination based on gender orientation.

Danforth concedes that he is an imperfect human being who sometimes failed as a student, husband, father, lawyer, minister and senator. But compared with so many other public figures using their own brand of Christianity to advance politically partisan agendas that harm the have-nots, Danforth comes across as a welcome paragon of virtue.

John Danforth will sign and discuss at 7 p.m. Thursday at Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Road, Prairie Village. Admission is $24.95. Call Rainy Day Books, (913) 384-3126.

This is cache, read story here