Adam Manning was a great kid, a courageous missionary kid, whose dream was to return to the United States one day and become a great preacher and bring the nation back to Christ. In a very short time, he'd made great headway on his goal, and he'd never once thought about running for office until Asa Mudd, a leading candidate running for the presidency, ask him to join him on the ticket. They were both true Christians. Being vice-president would make a great platform from which to call the nation back to their moral roots. Sounded good, but Mudd's party had lost its way. The forecast for the party was glum, demographics turning against them, the country's values shifting away. How could they win? Well, by doing what they had to do; campaign on a message that would please the center and get that swing vote. On the other hand, they risked losing their conservative Christian supporters doing that, appeasing liberals with all that mealy-mouthed talk. Enter the nationally-revered Reverend Adam Manning, the symbol of all those values the party's legions had long prayed over. With Adam on the ticket, they could still win, couldn't they? Implement their real agenda once they were in office. Maybe. Judas Wept explores the morally ambiguous and dangerous path that the Reverend Adam Manning follows on his way to the brink of a national tragedy. (Contact the author: (630) 791-9810; eubanks30@comcast.net)