Bush Soft-Peddling Religion

Recently President Bush's reelection strategy has seemed to focus upon energizing the "base" — the conservative evangelicals expected to vote for him anyway, assuming that they come out to vote at all. Moderates and centrists were ignored. Now, however, Bush may be softening his religious rhetoric in order to appeal those in the middle.

According to the L.A. Times:

And although the president does not usually shy away from discussing his personal faith, he sometimes found himself in an awkward position — trying to validate his supporters' views without endorsing them in a way that would alienate more-moderate swing voters. ... [H]e offered a defense of the separation of church and state: "I think the thing about our country that you must understand is that one of the most valuable aspects of America is that people can choose church or not church, and they're equally American. That is a vital part of our society."

A Bush-Cheney campaign official who discussed the subject on condition of anonymity said the president had to walk a tightrope on the subject of religion. "The president obviously is a man of faith. As you've seen him answer those questions, he feels it's very important as an elected leader to answer those questions not in a way that maybe would be the best answer for the crowd but to ensure that people of all religious beliefs [are protected]," the official said.

The above article doesn’t refer to the times that Bush has claimed that he receives instructions from God about what nations to invade or that he believes that God speaks through him. There’s a big difference between the man the article depicts and a man who believes that when you hear him speak, you are also listening to God. For that, the reporter should be embarrassed. This sort of information is important.

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