Bush’s first newspaper interview since the election was earlier this week, with the conservative Wall Street Journal. His second newspaper interview since the election was yesterday, with the even-more-conservative (and Moonie-owned) Washington Times. I think I’m starting to see a trend here.
The Moonie interview, however, focused a great deal on Bush’s religious faith and his thoughts on the role of religion in government. Two remarks stood out. First up:
“…I don’t see how you can be president at least from my perspective, how you can be president, without a relationship with the Lord,” [Bush] said.
Call me overly traditional, but I suspect Thomas Jefferson, who once implored people to “question with boldness even the existence of a God,” might quibble with such an assertion.
But then there was also this Bush gem:
“I think people attack me because they are fearful that I will then say that you’re not equally as patriotic if you’re not a religious person,” Mr. Bush said. “I’ve never said that. I’ve never acted like that. I think that’s just the way it is.”
It’s sometimes difficult to follow Bush’s sentence structure, so it’s hard to know what he was referring to with the final “that’s” in the last sentence. It sounds, however, like he’s saying if you’re not religious, you’re not equally patriotic and “that’s just the way it is.”
If that is what Bush was saying — and with this guy’s diction, it’s hard to know for sure — it’s something of a departure for him.
Indeed, even I was surprised by the president’s respect for diversity of thought the day Kerry conceded the presidential election, when Bush made it sound like non-believers are no less American as everybody else.
“…I will be your president regardless of your faith, and I don’t expect you to agree with me necessarily on religion. As a matter of fact, no president should ever try to impose religion on our society. A great — the great tradition of America is one where people can worship the way they want to worship. And if they choose not to worship, they’re just as patriotic as your neighbor.”
That’s about as tolerant as Bush could be. Oddly enough, the comments stood in stark contrast to those of his more-secular father, who in 1987 said that atheists should not be “considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots.”
It’s also what makes this President Bush’s comments to the Washington Times so odd.