LE MARS, Iowa — There is a comforting certainty to life in this conservative hamlet 25 miles north of Sioux City, where Christian men gather every Wednesday at noon to be fortified by fellowship and prayer. Folks are quite proud of the 10-foot-tall ice cream sundae statue at the center of town, a symbol of the 120 million gallons of Blue Bunny ice cream churned out annually here at the family-owned dairy.
But these days, there is an uncertainty about politics and their civic responsibility that is unsettling. This has been rock-solid Bush country. Conservatives and evangelicals were largely at peace in the knowledge that their president shared their Christian values. But this year, they aren’t at all sure anymore where to put their trust for 2008 — or whether they should even bother trying.