A thought provoking article from the Wall Street Journal OpinionJournal.com on president's and religion. Turns out Bush is not the only President who has made public professions of his Christian faith. Such well known radicals and nutcases as Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Truman and Kennedy made frequent references to God in their speeches. Yet Bush earns the title "messianic militarist" from Ralph Nader and is " pilloried as a faith-based imperialist"
Quick, who said the following:
"Steadfast in our faith in the Almighty, we will advance toward a world where man's freedom is secure."
Wild eyed fanatic George W. Bush? Nope. It was well known cult leader Harry Truman.
How about this?
"America seeks no earthly empire built on blood and force. The legions which she sends forth are armed, not with the sword, but with the cross."
Must have been that filthy Crusader Bush, right? Nope, it was ideologue Calvin Coolidge.
So why then is Bush treated so contemptuously by the secular media? Is it because he is seen as a rube, a mental midget by those who consider themselves his betters and his open declaration of his faith reinforces that? Is he more fervent about it? Perhaps and perhaps but I think the real reason is sincerity. Folk like Joe Klein are repulsed by Bush's faith because he seems so sincere and serious about it. Even Billy Bob Clinton invoked the Almighty now and then and went to church, but the left saw that for what it was: a necessary charade to appeal to the trailer trash folk who believed in such superstitions. But Bush, now he is dangerous because he really believes this stuff!
Who is more dangerous, a man who truly believes in his convictions or a man who has no convictions and uses the appearance of faith as a cynical tool?
America needs more nuance and less sincerity! John Kerry in 2004!
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