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Andrew Sullivan: Victory is an article of faith for Bush
The Sunday Times (U.K.) ^ | 10/28/2001 | Andrew Sullivan

Posted on 10/27/2001 4:03:19 PM PDT by Pokey78

Everyone who knows him will tell you the same thing. George W Bush is a deeply religious man. That's not to say he's pious. His easy nicknames for journalists, his tangled baseball analogies, his constant outbursts of chuckles do not connote a man of solemn devotion. Compared with the ostentatious sanctimony of Jimmy Carter, Bush seems urbane, even sassy.

But this shouldn't fool you. Bush believes that he was personally saved by God from a life of heavy drinking and irresponsibility. From the day Billy Graham took a walk with him and urged him to start his life anew, Bush has been a different man. And since September 11, he has been a different man altogether.

Nobody seems to doubt the spiritual context for this. The day of his speech to Congress on September 20, Bush did not spend the afternoon conferring with aides or even speech-writers. He spent it with religious leaders of all denominations. And at the end of the day, a telling moment occurred. James Merritt, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention, told the president: "I believe you are God's man for this hour. God's hand is on you." The president nodded. "I accept the responsibility," he replied. Whatever others think, this is what Bush believes; not in a messianic way but as one of those odd occurrences that the Almighty sometimes decides to bestow on the unlikeliest of people.

He was like this before September 11. His inaugural speech, when you look back on it, was full of religious imagery. He spoke of an "angel riding in the whirlwind". He invoked "a power larger than ourselves, Who creates us equal in His image". He spoke of "history's Author, Who fills time and eternity with His purpose".

These words come naturally to him. Bush begins most days reading the Bible and is as regular with his private prayers as with the treadmill. "I don't think anyone out there truly understands how important his faith is to this man," one of his aides told me a few months back. Perhaps part of this is due to Bush's life story. He was the first son, but he wasn't the first child in his family. His elder sister died of leukaemia when he was a child, thrusting him into the first-child role he never sought, while his mother grieved and leant on him. He never expected to be in public life and goofed off for years. His younger brother, Jeb, was supposed to be the next president, not W.

And from then on, surprise after surprise. He was not expected to beat an incumbent vice-president at a time of unparalleled prosperity. He did not win the popular vote, and asked himself what it meant that he had become president in such awkward circumstances. He carried on as if the riddle of his good fortune and awesome responsibility would at some point be solved for him.

September 11 solved it. "I think, in his frame, this is what God has asked him to do," a friend of his told The New York Times. "It offers him enormous clarity." Another friend opined that Bush had "begun a new life that is inextricably bound to September 11 and all that it implies". Look at the language Bush has employed. He uses the word "evil" with constant emphasis. Osama Bin Laden is an "evil man", the "evil one".

As Fred Barnes, the political journalist, noticed, the September 20 speech was also an exercise in psychological projection. "In our grief and anger we have found our mission and our moment," Bush said. "The country is called to defend freedom." Nobody needs to ask who had done the calling. Or who, apart from the country, had been called.

Nobody should confuse the faith of George W with more conventional Christian right belief. There are times when Bush seems almost embarrassingly ecumenical. One of his most beloved policy initiatives is the creation of "faith-based" social policy. But, apart from his campaign disaster of giving a speech at the uber-Protestant Bob Jones University, he has bent over backwards to avoid denominational edge. He has insisted that the focus of pro-life work (a view he shares) should not be imposing laws but changing hearts. His early insistence after September 11 that American Muslims deserved respect and protection was not merely good politics and good policy. It was heartfelt.

Like Tony Blair, we ignore this man's spiritual core at our peril. Its main consequence right now has been what insiders are calling a laser-beam concentration on the war on terrorism. Bush believes this is now his mission. It is not a job; it is not an adventure. It is a vocation. Bush seems determined to avoid any hostility with the Democrats. This has many conservatives worried, and it may indeed mean more public spending than is prudent. All this, in his mind, must be subjugated to what God has called him to.

And this, I think, explains the uncanny composure of the man. No president since John Kennedy in 1963 has been put under such intense stress in a national emergency. Yet Bush seems calm and happy. He doesn't stay up all night; he exercises and plays with his dog. His underrated wife plays a part in this. And so, too, do Bush's well-honed executive skills. He knows how to delegate. Above all, like many former drunks, he knows psychologically how to delegate to a higher power.

I don't think it's too great a stretch to see this war as a religious one. It's between the frenzied fanaticism of one man, and the calm, sustaining faith of another. I have no doubt which one will crack first.


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: 911; bush; faith; religion
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To: Pokey78
WOW! Thanks very much for this post.
61 posted on 10/27/2001 7:39:37 PM PDT by desertcry
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To: Pokey78
Stimulating article that makes GWB look deeper and more intriguing than many would have thought. I'm not sure how much I buy it. Some of his earlier comments, like the "please don't kill me" line in reference to a condemned murderer make me skeptical. One thing that does distinguish recent generations of politicians from previous ones though, is their great reliance on speech writers and ghost writers. GWB may very well have spiritual and emotional debts that he might find very difficult to express. If things go bad, though, Bush's faith will be used against him by his political opponents.

BTW, the word "pious" has changed it's meaning radically in the last century. The original meaning was reverent, religious or devout. But so many people have only heard the word used in phrases like "pious hypocrite" or "pious fraud," that they presume it means hypocritical or fraudulent or sanctimonious.

62 posted on 10/27/2001 7:41:08 PM PDT by x
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To: McGavin999
Despite the frustration of the slow going war, I too have faith that we will win this war.

Actually a slow going war may be better since we are in such upheaval now. It will allow us time to adjust to the reality of war.

63 posted on 10/27/2001 8:44:35 PM PDT by ClancyJ
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To: deport
Thanks for the ping deport.

A good article by Andrew Sullivan.

George W.Bush is trying his best to be the President to all American's and I believe he is succeeding very nicely.

The President may have been dealt a bad hand by Satan on 9-11, but his faith in God, along with his strong character, solid integrity and love of America will enable him to make it through this extremely difficult time.

64 posted on 10/27/2001 8:54:54 PM PDT by Reagan Man
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To: ClancyJ
Excellent point, I hadn't thought about that. It also keeps the journalists busy. This is a slow going war where the one with the most patience wins. Our president strikes me as a very patient man who's not afraid of being mocked while he plots the final blow.
65 posted on 10/27/2001 9:14:52 PM PDT by McGavin999
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To: WomanofStandard
and Rev. Robinson (I cannot recall his first name now.),

His name is James Robison, and I am very glad these two are friends. Robison is from Texas. When W decided to run, Pastor Robison said W told him he'd "heard the call," he was going to run for president, and said James was the sixth person he called to tell. And he specifically called to ask James and Betty (his wife) to pray for him.

From what I've seen of James and Betty Robison, I really like them and their heart for God and His people. They seem very balanced, decent, and loving.

66 posted on 10/27/2001 10:26:28 PM PDT by GretchenEE
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To: deport
Thanks deport, YES, I do like Andrew Sullivan. I had my doubts but have liked what he has written lately. That is good enough for me. It is on paper and will come back to haunt him if he does a 1 80. hehehe. I think he started coming around about the time of the election debacle and really was insulted for algore. thanks again.
67 posted on 10/27/2001 10:37:01 PM PDT by GUIDO
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To: Media2Powerful
Your post seems all about sex. I had hoped you would branch out. I do agree that Sullivan was not very gracious about Falwell's apology. But I think the main thing Falwell was upset about was that he got caught. But that is speculation. At least he tried to make amends publically.
68 posted on 10/27/2001 10:44:36 PM PDT by Torie
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To: Pokey78
Thanks very much for the post.Sullivan is right about Laura.She, like GWB,is underrated.
69 posted on 10/27/2001 10:46:56 PM PDT by Lady In Blue
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To: floriduh voter
"I was with the author but the former drunk reference at the end was a little unkind but I guess he was trying to make a point"

But the author knows that this is not an unkind comment to a Christian who knows he has been saved by God's grace. Regardless of the author's personal beliefs, he understands that Christians believe that God sometimes calls the most unlikeliest of people--Paul, of course, being the prime example.

Who would have thought, when Dubya was drinking heavily, that he would go on to become president of the United States?

70 posted on 10/27/2001 10:51:24 PM PDT by joathome
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To: deport
Thanks,deport for the bump.A really good read.GWB's sister,Robin was younger and like another poster said,he overstated GWB's taste for drink a bit but other than that,it's a great article.
71 posted on 10/27/2001 10:52:31 PM PDT by Lady In Blue
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To: bayourod
I'm glad I'm not the only one who had this reaction. Just because he stopped drinking altogether doesn't automatically make him a heavy drinker prior to that. He sure didn't speak about that in those terms in his biography, yet this article makes it sound as though GW actually saw himself as a heavy drinker.

I also was uncomfortable with the implication that he wasn't really a believer until that talk with Billy Graham, whereas in his biography he talks about that moment as being a time that he "recommitted" his life to Christ. There is an important difference, IMO.

The final comment in the article again draws a very uncomfortable parallel between GW and "former drunks" that I find rather offensive.

The overall gist of the article I like. I think it's long past time that people began writing articles about the President's strong faith, because it's very obvious in his leadership and IMO it's the only thing that's going to see him and us through this crisis. But it would be nice if there weren't all these backhanded slams against him, particularly when they're unsubstantiated and there is no real evidence presented.

-penny

72 posted on 10/27/2001 10:54:14 PM PDT by Penny1
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To: overseer5
I see you know very little about the Methodist Church. There are many consevatives in the church mostly in the south with Texas being a major area for consrvative thought. As to the anti-terrorism bill being a threat to religious groups, my take is that if you obey the laws of the USA you have nothing to fear and that is as it should be.
73 posted on 10/27/2001 11:09:33 PM PDT by Bombard
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To: Bombard
Oh, that is wonderful news to hear about the UMC and churches in general in Texas....

I live in Seattle, and practically any mainline church up here is unbearably liberal including the United Methodist Church. I'm so thankful to know it's not like that in other parts of the country.

-penny

74 posted on 10/27/2001 11:29:24 PM PDT by Penny1
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To: joathome
But the author knows that this is not an unkind comment to a Christian who knows he has been saved by God's grace.

While I can grant the author that, if the veiled accusations about GWB's drinking aren't verified he shouldn't have mentioned it the way that he did. Perhaps it was not meant unkindly, and the author felt he needed to make the conversion story more dramatic so he played the drinking angle up in order to add to the drama. IMO, it was not an ethical way to do so and was entirely unnecessary.

Is there any real proof to the seemingly widely-accepted idea that GW was a heavy drinker prior to his giving up drinking altogether? I mean, beyond that DWI that hit the press in the middle of his campaign.... I don't like assuming that just because people act as though it's true I should just believe it without seeing any evidence myself, but I also don't want to make an idiot of myself by continuing to question it if it's a proven fact.

-penny

75 posted on 10/27/2001 11:42:42 PM PDT by Penny1
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To: Common Tator
Well Mr. Tattor you make some good points there...

The restraints of law and future Clintons have little in common...

76 posted on 10/28/2001 12:54:04 AM PDT by DB
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To: Common Tator
Sorry for the double T error...
77 posted on 10/28/2001 1:17:51 AM PDT by DB
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To: Penny1
You should come to the central part(the red part of the electorial map) of the nation sometime we tend to be a little more conservative than you folks on the coasts. The UMC does have a clergy and national lay leadership that tends to the liberal side but there are many people in the church that have conservative views and for the most part the consevatives are able to control the liberal excesses of the others.
78 posted on 10/28/2001 4:03:31 AM PST by Bombard
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To: joathome
I didn't even know anything about Dubya until the primaries were all done. The more I saw of him after that, the more I liked. Seeing him in person is hard to explain. Dubya's not a larger than life figure (his brother Jeb is) but I was impressed by his humility when others were at the podium and it wasn't his turn to speak yet. He accepts standing in the spotlight as part of his job description but his mission has always been to be our unwavering public servant. He says "we" not "I" which is a refreshing change from WJC.

Remember my bumper sticker "Help is on the way." We desperately needed a man who walks with God and enough of us prayed for him even before he became president and still do. Enjoy your Sunday.

79 posted on 10/28/2001 5:28:04 AM PST by floriduh voter
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To: 1stMarylandRegiment
All people, be they an alcoholic or not, should turn their care over to God. He's my everything. He went to soc security disability court with me as my only attorney and I won. He guides me every day because I need it.
80 posted on 10/28/2001 5:43:35 AM PST by floriduh voter
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