New York TIMES / January 15, 2008 / reporter's Notebook In Heart of Islamic World, Bush Puts Forth His Faith By STEVEN LEE MYERS
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — President Bush's Christianity is so central to his life that it is not surprising that it would figure prominently in a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories. What is striking, though, is how much his faith is coloring his approach to the biggest foreign policy challenges: the war in Iraq, the push for an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord, and his broader appeal for democracy as a counterweight to combating extremism in the Islamic world from Iran to Lebanon. As he traveled from Israel to the Persian Gulf and, on Monday, to Saudi Arabia, keeper of Islam's holiest sites, Mr. Bush repeatedly cited monotheistic faith, contending that it served as the foundation for freedom, justice and representative government. [what? the multitheistic beliefs of Hindus and ancient Greeks can't be foundations for freedom, justice, and representative government? He should apologize to them, especially since the stuffy old classicists are always claiming that the ancient Greeks were the fount of "Western" democracy.] "A great new era is unfolding before us," Mr. Bush said in a speech on Sunday in an opulent hotel in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. "This new era is founded on the equality of all people before God. This new era is being built with the understanding that power is a trust that must be exercised with the consent of the governed — and deliver equal justice under the law." [hey, when are we going to get consent of the governed and equal justice here in the US??] Mr. Bush's brand of Christianity has unquestionably shaped his unswerving support for Israel, a support that is shared by many American evangelical Christians. But in Bethlehem, after touring the Church of the Nativity — built atop the biblical birthplace of Jesus — he found in his faith the theological foundation for the creation of a Palestinian state. [why don't reporters look into the possibility that his "brand of Christianity" might give him bases for after-the-fact rationalizations of positions based on power politics?] "Someday I hope that as a result of a formation of a Palestinian state, there won't be walls and checkpoints, that people will be able to move freely in a democratic state," he said, having seen Israel's security barriers and checkpoints for himself. "That's the vision, greatly inspired by my belief that there is an Almighty, and a gift of that Almighty to each man, woman and child on the face of the earth is freedom." [the "Almighty" gave us "freedom"? according to the smattering of theology I've picked up, He, She or They gave us "free will," not actual freedom. [don't reporters look into the content of this Palestinian "state"? How does it differ from a Bantustan?] Mr. Bush's wars in the Islamic world, his use of the word "crusade" to describe an effort to curb terrorism, and his strong support for Israel have made him a reviled figure in the Islamic world, undercutting such ecumenical appeals. In an interview with Al Arabiya television on the eve of his trip, he clearly sought to temper the view that his faith has put him in opposition to Islam. "I pray to the same God as a Muslim prays," he declared. And when asked how the Muslim world would judge his presidency, he replied, "I would hope, at least, at the very minimum, people would say that George W. Bush respected my religion." [I'm sure the focus groups liked that line.] -- Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante.
