G R 'Scott' Cundiff
6th February 2006, 10:14 PM (22:14)
I just finished reading the new book, "Rebel in Chief" by Fred Barnes. I hear Barnes on Fox News all the time and have come to appreciate his judgment. When I heard he had a new book out on George Bush I was curious about it and wanted to read it.
It is a very current book, covering events up to the recent nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court.
The chapter on religion was pretty interesting to me. Barnes says that Bush has told his speech writers that mention of religion is permissible in five specific instances and no others:
In times of national disaster, as a word of hope
In discussing the historic influence of faith on our country -- for instance, when speaking of the civil rights movement
When dealing with his faith-based initiative and the role religion plays in providing social services
As "literary allusions to hymns and Scripture" -- a quotation, etc.
When speaking of God's role in human history -- "as Americans we not only have faith in what we can do, but even more, we know we can trust the loving God behind it all"One funny incident based on number 4 -- during the 2000 campaign, in an interview Bush commented that people should take the log out of their own eye before paying attention to the speck in their neighbor's eye. The next day, the New York Times carried a front page report that commented on Bush using an unusual version of the saying about the pot calling the kettle black. In other words, neither the reporter or any of the editors of the New York Times knew enough about the Bible to recognize Bush's words as a paraphrase of Jesus' words on the Sermon on the Mount.
It is a very current book, covering events up to the recent nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court.
The chapter on religion was pretty interesting to me. Barnes says that Bush has told his speech writers that mention of religion is permissible in five specific instances and no others:
In times of national disaster, as a word of hope
In discussing the historic influence of faith on our country -- for instance, when speaking of the civil rights movement
When dealing with his faith-based initiative and the role religion plays in providing social services
As "literary allusions to hymns and Scripture" -- a quotation, etc.
When speaking of God's role in human history -- "as Americans we not only have faith in what we can do, but even more, we know we can trust the loving God behind it all"One funny incident based on number 4 -- during the 2000 campaign, in an interview Bush commented that people should take the log out of their own eye before paying attention to the speck in their neighbor's eye. The next day, the New York Times carried a front page report that commented on Bush using an unusual version of the saying about the pot calling the kettle black. In other words, neither the reporter or any of the editors of the New York Times knew enough about the Bible to recognize Bush's words as a paraphrase of Jesus' words on the Sermon on the Mount.