BOSTON -- I confess that I was a teensy bit relieved when the Supreme Court found a way to avoid ruling on the underlying issue of the Pledge of Allegiance case. Having pledged before and after the "under God" clause was added, I didn't think those two words were any big deal. But I did suspect they were unconstitutional.

So I figured that the court dodged a bullet in the culture wars. But now I'm afraid it only provided arms for the custody wars.

The court dismissed the case on the grounds that Michael Newdow, the biological father, didn't have the standing to bring the case to court. His kind of father -- without full legal custody -- didn't have the parental right to speak for his child.

As one wag put it, the justices found it easier to separate parent and child than to separate church and state...