I guess my last thoughts on this will be these...
I've read unbelievable counter-arguments to my points that a) have shown what I believe is a misunderstanding of Scripture, b) have shown an inability to read what has been written without pushing meaning into it to validate their own views, and c) have shown that the side that believes politics is no place for the Christian does not really understand where the other side is coming from.
When they say that politics doesn't save, only Christ does, I say "You're right! And??" They think that we who care about the political realm are really hoping to bring Heaven to earth shows a tremendous lack of proper reasoning on their part. No one I've read in these threads has said that, I never said it, and I never implied it. And yet, this is still what they accuse us of. They do not comprehend what we are saying, which can be due to several causes, none of them flattering.
I'm sorry, but in light of all these errors, the side that says the Christian should not care about politics, all sides are equally bad, they're all sinners and therefore none deserve our support, have clearly not thought their positions all the way through. Rather embarrassing. And, dangerous.
However, as a small concession, there is something to be said for the fact that politics / national pride can become an idol. We are not to be so heavenly-minded that we're no earthly good, JTB, Stan, etc... But, we should not be so concerned about worldly matters that we lose sight of the spiritual and eternal. We all need to seek God for the proper balance.