RELIGION AND SECRECY IN THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION

The Gentleman, the Prince, and the Simulacrum
By:
Hugh Urban
Ohio State University

This is a really interesting essay concerning George W. Bush and his administration. He makes excellent points and backs them up with facts.

Hugh Urban writes:
" When contemplating the figure of George W. Bush, the historian of religion—and really, any thoughtful citizen—is presented with a very strange paradox and apparent contradiction. On the one hand, this is by many accounts the most outspokenly religious president in U.S. history—a man who claims to have been not only saved but called by God to political office, who uses extensive references to scripture throughout his public speeches (both explicit and subtly double-coded), who has denounced certain nations as part of an insidious "Axis of Evil," and who promises to bring freedom as a "Gift from the Almighty" to benighted regions of the world like the Middle East. Bush's remarkable display of piety has been noted not just by the Religious Right, his strongest base of support,[3] and the mainstream media,[4] but also increasingly by historians of religion.[5] Strong morality and grounding in faith have been the bulwarks of his administration and major reasons for his widespread public appeal; and, according to some estimates, they are among the most important factors in the 2004 elections.[6] "]

PREVARICATION AND THE ART OF RULING