I saw Bush went out of his way to trash General Boykins again yesterday at his news conference. I guess he thinks he can wrap up the Muslim vote. He may have to rethink that, as the Washington Times reported today that major Muslim pressure groups, including the Center for Amircan Islamic Relations, which Bush has shamelessly courted, have announced a boycott of Bush's Ramadan dinner at the White House. For those who missed this story, Gen Boykins is a true American hero. He was commander of Delta Force for many years. Think real life Chuck Norris. He is now a high Pentagon official who is basically in charge of hunting down Osmam and Saddam. He also happens to be a committed evangelical Christian who has shared his testimony in numerous evangelical churches. In an administration that has an Attorney General who holds prayer breakfasts in his office and a President who frequently talks in Biblical terminology, one would think this was nothing unusual. Apparently it is, as Gen. boykins made a few offhand references to terrorists being led by satan and told a story about a somali thug who boasted that allah would protect him but, in Gen. Boykin's words, found out that the God of Abraham was bigger than the idol he worshipped. When the LA Times, fresh out of Arnold groping stories, featured this , the girlie men in the administration ran for cover and started an investigation of Gen. Boykins, obviously intending to can him. Hey, our policy is that Islam is love, right? Unless some Senate Republicans can find their courage, all of which apparently left town with Jesse Helms, Boykins will be made a martyr to Bush's seeming obsession with courting Muslims. I can confidently state that such a move will not be well received by the religious right, which is not all that pleased with Bush to begin with. They don't have to vote against him, they just have to stay home, kind of like they did when Bush Sr. lost. If he thinks he can win without this constituency he needs to get back into a 12 step program. If they sit out the election in a huff over Boykins, plenty of Republican senators could lose as well.
I don't think Bush is trying to appease Muslims as much as sane everyday Americans who are not religious nutcakes.
In american the last bastions of a scoundrel has always been the bible and the american flag. regards
maybe he's a good fit - who better to lead crusades against religious fanatics than a religious fanatic?
No doubt some people use religion and patriotism as covers, but that doesn't mean every religious person who is patriotic is a scoundrel. This guy had an unblemished career and now the same people who would be defending him if he had been caught in a gay bar are after him for private remarks he made in a church. His remarks were not all that different from what Bush himself has said about terrorists, at least when he's not coming out with that "Islam is love" nonsense.
I agree that we are not fighting a religious war. I'm not so sure about the other side however. It's not just the middle east, Islamic terrorism is also a big problem in asia and a growing one in europe.
You seem to be discounting the danger of those in power being unduly influenced by their religious beliefs.
It happens all the time with public figures. They shoot their mouths off and their credibility is destroyed forever. Some people just can't keep their bigotry or eccentricities to themselves, particularly when they have an inflated view about their self importance. AAA did you ever work in Christal City or the Pentago? regards
Every time Bush blabbers that line about 'Islam is a religion of peace', I fully understand that he is either: A) Dishonest or B) Ignorant neither option sits very comfortably with me.