Hmmmm. Wow, you really didn't get it. I'll try to spell it out. President Bush's role as president of our country requires performing the role of public relations with other nations on our planet. Thankfully in our country, religion and political operation of our government are separate. In case you hadn't noticed and this a critically important point, that is not the case in the Islam world. In Islamic countries, their leaders are also their religious leaders. Our public policy should not denounce a religion, no matter how ludicrous. Politically, we must respect their rights to their beliefs even if we privately think them false. Any comments by the religious leaders in our country should not be construed as public policy, hence the repudiation of those comments by our president. Am I connecting here, yet?
Let me add that I don't think Bush and Powell need to continue to repudiate the religious right. As long as they've made their point that the religious right view doesn't reflect US policy, they can step away and allow the discourse to continue between the religious elements of both faiths. In fact, I believe that discourse could be very constructive, as it will prayerfully cause some introspection by Muslims about their faith. I'm not sure the religious right has taken the correct tact, however. I would prefer that Christians would speak the truth in love and know the fallacies of Islam before they begin the discourse. I'm not sure this is the case with the exception of Dr. Robert Morey, who is a Christian pastor, apologist, and author with a doctorate in Islamic studies. See http://www.faithdefenders.com/