The Jesus Landing Pad: Bush White House checked with rapture Christians before latest Israel move

Village Voice ^ | May 18th, 2004 10:00 AM | Rick Perlstein

[Ciexyz]

Rick, I've read your comments and I have to say that it sounds like your article would appeal to the readers of the Village Voice. I'm sure you will take our comments, like my comment of "it's a fringe group" and use that to defend your thesis, that certain groups of Christians get too much time with Bush's advisers. The problem I see with this whole thing is, you're a liberal who has jumped on a perceived problem and now you're giving it publicity, and your core base of readers will translate that to mean, "Christians (in general) are scary in how they lobby Bush and have WAY too much power with the administration." So your article has served its political purpose, of further solidifying your liberal Democratic base.

Let's not even go to the territory of how disturbed your Jewish readers would be to learn that Christian missionaries in Israel are hiding behind the image of Orthodox Jews, in order to befriend and then convert Israelis. Just another attempt on your part to scare the core base of Democratic voters.

Sorry, your article doesn't work for me.

[Southack]

"I'm in total disagreement with any form of Palestinian state," Upton said. "Within a two-week period, getting 50,000 postcards saying the exact same thing from places all over the country, that resonated with the White House. That really caused [President Bush] to backpedal on the Road Map."

And yet, President Bush still supports a Palestinian state.

Nor is that the only issue on which he has bucked the religious right...note that he also carried out the execution of ax murderer Karla Faye Tucker over the objections of Reverend Billy Graham, et al.

So it is a disservice to pigeon-hole President Bush as being beholden to the religious right. President Bush is religious, but he also knows to firmly do what is right for America even if that disagrees with the wishes of the hyper-religious.

[tang-soo]

Here’s a blast from the past.