The Bobcat Nation

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9618531/

Shaath says: “President Bush said to all of us: ’I’m driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, ’George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan’.

“And I did, and then God would tell me, ’George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq.’ And I did.

“And now, again, I feel God’s words coming to me, ’Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East’. And by God I’m gonna do it’,” Shaath quotes him as saying.

"I'm a sooouuuul man!"

Although I sometimes cringe when I hear Bush invoke God's name in his political speeches, I seriously doubt that he made these quotes as they've been framed by Shaath. I have to think that a reference he made to God in a speech has been (intentionally or otherwise) misunderstood or misinterpreted by those who are making these statements now.

I do believe Shaath concedes that in the story. However, when Bush uses God's name, given the perception (false or not) he and his staff have created for that relationship, it has to catch everyone's ear.

iaafan wrote:I do believe Shaath concedes that in the story. However, when Bush uses God's name, given the perception (false or not) he and his staff have created for that relationship, it has to catch everyone's ear.

But it is true.

The Apostle Paul in his Letter to the Romans wrote: Obey the government, for God is the one who put it there. All governments have been placed in power by God.
-Rom 13:1-2 (NLT)

That applies to not only Bush's presidency, but also Clinton's, and Hussein's, and Idi Amin's. We may not know why He put particular governments in power, but He did nevertheless.

iaafan wrote:I do believe Shaath concedes that in the story. However, when Bush uses God's name, given the perception (false or not) he and his staff have created for that relationship, it has to catch everyone's ear.

Perhaps it should be anticipated that it will "catch everyone's ear" as you say, but I don't think that makes it right for the press to twist his comments to inflame the public.

I am not generally a member of the "the entire media is on a liberal crusade against Bush" camp, but if we agree that it's unlikely that Bush's comments were truly as inflammatory as what was portrayed in the headline to the article you posted, then one does have to wonder what the motivation is for spinning the story as they did (or, frankly, why the story is news at all).

It might only be a news story because to a certain segment of the world's population, someone saying "God told me to do..." X is right up with with someone casually suggesting in conversation that they have been abducted by aliens. It just sounds kind of funny if one doesn't realize that it is just a figure of speech.

Of course, if Bush wasn't merely using a figure of speech, and actually believes that God is talking to him and telling him how to run our country and the world ... then [fill in sarcastic comment here, focusing on suggested improvements in God's mentoring approach].

But hasn't W. tried to mold himself, or has been told to mold himself, into this religious person? The story is funny in that regard. I mean he now has to be careful of how he invokes God in a sentence, because may portray it or take it in the wrong way. God is considered an asset in Bush camp, but if not careful (H)e can be liability.

I suppose you could say the story is "funny," in much the same way that it was funny a few years ago when the media and Republicans took a fairly innocuous (and true) statement by Al Gore noting that he had supported a particular piece of legislation in the Senate, and somehow twisted it into "I invented the internet." Personally though, I would rather just have fair and factual reporting than funny stories like this one.

The problem I have with stories like this one is that people tend to remember the soundbite rather than the actual substance of the story. Two years from now, people will remember that "Bush said God told him to invade Iraq," even though, as we (and Shaath) have agreed, that is not actually the substance of what he said. Although I think the blending of religion and government is dangerous (and thus cringe every time Bush invokes the name of the Almighty in a speech), I also think his quotes should be judged fairly.

I see your point.

It all makes sense to me now :

http://sfgate.com/columnists/morford/

Oh sure post that when all the tough guys on this board are preoccupied with football.

Bay Area Cat wrote:It all makes sense to me now :

http://sfgate.com/columnists/morford/

Sorry, I only made it through half of Morford's column before I felt so sorry for him I couldn't read any more.

'93HonoluluCat wrote:

Bay Area Cat wrote:It all makes sense to me now :

http://sfgate.com/columnists/morford/

Sorry, I only made it through half of Morford's column before I felt so sorry for him I couldn't read any more.

Just read the very end. That lays out the main point.