Bush The Universalist

That's the title of Terry Mattingly's latest post over at GetReligion.

Mattingly writes:

The media have written extensively, if poorly, about Bush’s faith. There was that New York Times Sunday Magazine cover story about Bush’s faith. And countless others which we’ve all read over the past decade.

And yet when President Bush celebrates other religions or otherwise expresses his universalism — which he has done repeatedly — the media barely notice. In an Oct. 4 interview with Al Arabiya, President Bush said

Well, first of all, I believe in an almighty God, and I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God. That’s what I believe. I believe that Islam is a great religion that preaches peace.

Mattingly wonders if the media ignores Bush's universalism (pluralism?) "because it doesn't fit with their preconceived notion of Bush as an evangelical extremist."

Fascinating stuff, check it out.

Back in late July, I wrote a post entitled Universalist Addresses Southern Baptist Convention.

What amazes me (well, not really) is the way Southern Baptist leaders treat Presidents when they talk theology. Jimmy Carter gets labeled a heretic by Al Mohler & Company. Yet, folks like Richard Land give Bush's unambiguous theological statements a pass. After Bush's interview with Charlie Gibson back in 2003, Richard told Baptist Press that the President was "simply mistaken" and that "we should always remember that he is commander in chief, not theologian in chief." Instead of calling Bush a heretic - Southern Baptists invite him to speak year after year to their annual meeting!

Ah the inconsistency of fundamentalists....

George W. Bush Doing God's Will in Iraq?

After spending two hours last Friday with President Bush in the Roosevelt Room, David Brooks comes back with a slight case of Hero Worship and this New York Times op-ed....

Far from being beleaguered, Bush was assertive and good-humored. While some in his administration may be looking for exit strategies, he is unshakablycommitted to stabilizing Iraq. If Gen. David Petraeus comes back and says he needs more troops and more time, Bush will scrounge up the troops. If General Petraeus says he can get by with fewer, Bush will support that, too.

Bush said he will get General Petraeus's views unfiltered by the Pentagon establishment. He feels no need to compromise to head off opposition from Capitol Hill and is confident that he can rebuild popular support. "I have the tools," he said.

I left the 110-minute session thinking that far from being worn down by the past few years, Bush seems empowered. His self-confidence is the most remarkable feature of his presidency.
...........

Rather, his self-confidence survives because it flows from two sources. The first is his unconquerable faith in the rightness of his Big Idea. Bush is convinced that history is moving in the direction of democracy, or as he said Friday: "It's more of a theological perspective. I do believe there is an Almighty, and I believe a gift of that Almighty to all is freedom. And I will tell you that is a principle that no one can convince me that doesn't exist."

It's quite scary when our President's theory or plan for success is based on the conviction that HIS WISHES embody God's Will.

Pardon me but I just can't wrap my mind around the idea that the neoconservatism espoused by Bush and fellow ideologues is God's Will incarnate. I don't know about you - but the Gospel I read doesn't demand that we forcibly spread Democracy throughout the World.

We can only hope and pray that one day President Bush will realize that true freedom is found in faith through Christ alone and not in a particular political system....

A Word From The Preacher - Listen Up Mr. President

One Baptist pastor in the District of Columbia has declared that ENOUGH is ENOUGH.

On her blog and in an article at EthicsDaily.com, Amy Butler of Calvary Baptist Church has posted a letter to President Bush concerning his recent decision to commute Scooter Libby's prison sentence. Butler writes...

Dear Mr. Bush:

Happy birthday to us, and all that.

Truthfully, I'm rather wary of this holiday, as it seems more and more to me that we're celebrating a distant dream rather than a hopeful reality. You know what I mean?

I didn't think so.

I have to tell you, I know being a leader is not the easiest task, especially when effective leadership means bucking the status quo, challenging current systems and ushering in new hope for the future.

I feel for you, really I do.

I know it's not easy, but I must ask: is there really a need to up-end democracy in such a flagrant manner as you have repeatedly, consistently done during your time in office?

We must take responsibility, I know, for putting you there (twice). Although I myself did not contribute to that effort either time, I'm wondering if I didn't sit by too idle and uninvolved while others did?

This most recent decision of yours, to make sure Scooter Libby escapes a prison term, while not surprising, seems to be the last straw for me. I'm tired of sitting on the sidelines while you destroy our country's international reputation, alienate our neighbors, and slowly chip away at the freedoms that have made our country great.

Maybe you feel you're protected enough to behave in whatever manner you want, to leave democracy and the American people in the dust while you keep your friends happy, but I want you to know I'm tired of it all. For the first time in my adult life I am genuinely alarmed about the kind of country I will be handing off to my kids.

I'm not hoping, of course, that you will see the light, change your ways, fix the damage you've done … it's, frankly, far too extensive by now. I just wanted to say: I am disappointed in you ... disappointed that you don't have the courage to be a visionary leader to a country with such promise. You missed the boat, but I, for one, will not stand by anymore while you leave democracy in the dust.

Happy birthday, America. May the world remember the promise of this country and stand by us as we try to pick up the dream, dust it off, and reinvent it for the future.

Amen, Preacher!

Allow me to end this post with a word from my favorite xenophobe and MSNBC guest - Patrick Buchanan.....

"Will the student deferments for these fellows never end? The act reeks of cronyism. The perception is that Scooter Libby got preferential treatment, a get-out-of-jail-free card because he was chief of staff to Cheney and assistant to Bush. That perception is correct. Because of whom he knew, Scooter got preferential treatment, big-time. The Godfather took care of the consigliere.

Nothing new. After all, one recalls that the attorney who rustled up a pardon for Marc Rich from Bill Clinton was also a Beltway hustler by the name of Scooter Libby. The insiders take care of their own. And that is how the game is played in the big city."

Our Teetotaler-in-Chief

The Associated Press caption reads:

U.S. President George Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, enjoy a cold drink in historic Heiligendamm, Germany, Thursday, June 7, 2007. The leaders of the G8 nations are holding their annual summit in the sea resort on June 6-8, 2007. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Read more here.

UPDATED* - According to reports, Bush got a little sick on the last day of the G8 summit. Our Teetotaler-in-Chief had to miss some meetings. Some say it must have been something he ate. Others say it was something he drank. However, his trustworthy advisers have insisted that Bush, a self-professed alcoholic, was sipping on non-alcoholic beer.

Caption reads:

President Bush drinks a beer as he jokes about his non-plans to reduce carbon emissions with German chancellor Angela Merkel and British prime minister Tony Blair. Later Blair and Bush lamented the non-success of their war in Iraq. How they laughed!

And the video....

I AM THE PRESIDENT!!!

Georgie Ann Geyer: A Spreading Terror - via Dallas Morning News.

The White House sees terrorists as born, not created by history, bearing the mark of Cain, not the mark of circumstance. There is a scarlet "T" written on their foreheads at birth and the only answer is to destroy them. This kind of thinking, of course, relieves the thinker of any responsibility for the presence of the insurgent-terrorist-whatever in our innocent midst.

What's more, there is not much real give in the administration's policies. True, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other American diplomats met Memorial Day weekend with the Iranians in Baghdad (a good first move but limited, since the Iranians have most of the power because of our incredible stupidity in Iraq). But by all reports, President Bush is more convinced than ever of his righteousness.

Friends of his from Texas were shocked recently to find him nearly wild-eyed, thumping himself on the chest three times while he repeated "I am the president!" He also made it clear he was setting Iraq up so his successor could not get out of "our country's destiny."

Bush's wild-eyed I AM THE PRESIDENT spill reminds me of Denzel Washington's profanity-laced tirade at the end of his Oscar-winning performance for Training Day.

I am the man up in this beast. Who do you think you're messing with? I'm the police! I run {stuff} here. You just live here...King Kong ain't got {nothing} on me!

Pound your chest a time or two, Mr. President. We know all too well who you are...

HT: Texas In Africa