The perils of a self-righteous media.
I have only marginal respect for the media as a whole, especially the supercilious "objective" journalists who are anything but. Time Magazine is one of the many media outlets that falls over itself to create fault where none exists in Bush's actions. Joe Klein has outdone himself with his most recent piece in Time titled "The Perils of a Righteous President". From beginning to end, Klein exhibits a blindness caused by his disdain for Bush and Christians in general, as well as a pitiful lack of understanding of the very foundations of Christianity.
Klein starts out with this gem in the very first sentence: " After his grudging public apology for the behavior of U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison, George W. Bush attended a ceremony commemorating the National Day of Prayer." Grudging? Maybe he heard a different speech than I did. Bush is angry and embarrassed by the actions of those under his command, and as commander-in-chief he stood like a man and apologized. How many apologies did we ever get from Clinton?
Klein continues, now throwing all faithful Christians along with Bush to the lions of the self-righteous secular media: "Faith without doubt leads to moral arrogance, the eternal pratfall of the religiously convinced." Huh? Faith WITH doubt is no faith at all. I sorta believe in the Word of God, I sorta believe in Jesus? These are not the statements of a person of faith but of a person covering their bases. God's Word is clear and unequivocal, leaving not room for fence sitting. You are either with God or you are not.
Klein then moves to an authority of moral guidance, a Jordanian businessman, no doubt selected for quotation because he agreed with Klein that the war is all about us seizing their precious oil. If only it were! Then we wouldn't be paying $2 a gallon for gasoline. Hey Kerry, keep talking about raising taxes on gasoline!
Klein's broad brush is not done painting just yet. His next volley encompasses the hated advisors to Bush, who receive the same disdain as the President for daring to challenge liberal idols: "But Bush's moral certainty almost seemed delusional last week in the vertiginous realities of Iraq. A distressing, uninflected righteousness has defined this Administration from the start, and it hasn't been limited to the President. Bush's overheated sense of good vs. evil has been reinforced by the intellectual fantasies of neoconservatives like I. Lewis Libby and Paul Wolfowitz, who serve Bush's two most powerful advisers, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld." He then goes on to throw the "C" word (crusade) out just for fun. At this point he sounds distressingly like bin Laden. But wait, the best is yet to come!
Here it is! "But democracy doesn't easily lend itself to evangelism; it requires more than faith. It requires a solid, educated middle class and a sophisticated understanding of law, transparency and minority rights." Did you catch that? It requires "more than faith", it requires "education" and "sophisticated understanding" In other words, religious folk are lower class rubes who need to be educated by people like Klein. The ARROGANCE is breathtaking, they really believe this stuff.
He seems almost spent at this point, but not yet! He has more: " It is conventional wisdom among democracy and human-rights activists—and yet the Administration allowed itself to be blinded by righteousness. Why? Because moral pomposity is almost always a camouflage for baser fears and desires." Conventional wisdom among democracy advocates? Who are these unnamed democracy advocates? Klein's buddies on the Left, like Castro apologist Oliver Stone? Democracy is more than an idea, it requires action. Wishing the Middle East would be more democratic won't get it done. Talking about it at the UN won't get it done. Seizing the reins of power from tyrants and giving it back to the people is how it is done. It worked in Germany. It worked in Japan. It worked in Italy. It is working in Russia. It will work in Afghanistan and Iraq.
It goes on and on and on, one base attack on Bush's faith, his intelligence, his advisors, his motivation, everything after another. Even at his most despised, Clinton never raised this sort of ire.
Perhaps we should look at the idea of righteousness in Christian doctrine, expressed in our only infallible guide the Bible.:
"But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Matthew 9:13
Hmm, God is calling sinners to repentence, including admitted sinners who have humbled themselves and repented like President Bush.
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:" Romans 3:10
Hmm, for the Christian we are told that NONE are righteous, not Billy Graham, not the Pope, not President Bush, not me and not Joe Klein. All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. That hardly seems an arrogant position…
"Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" John 7:24
God tells us what is righteous through His Word, not Joe Klein and not our subjective opinions.
" For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. " Romans 5:19
Obedience to the One who is sinless that we may be made righteous by Him, not of our own efforts but by submitting to the Lord.
So let's review. To the devout Christian, we are all sinners, we all need salvation, our works are meaningless to the Lord, and Christ is the only answer. Joe Klein just doesn't get it. I am starting to believe that we do live in different nations, existing side by side in parallel universes. Let the liberals lean on their own strength and understanding. I will depend on the Lord, He is my Rock, my Savior, my Redeemer and in Him I place my trust.
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