I recently heard Mike Huckabee make a pitch to South Carolina Baptists saying that if elected president, he would change the Constitution so that it conformed with “ God’s will” Now, that .made my blood run cold. Of course his remark was code for gay marriage and abortion, both hot button, problematic issues with passionate advocates on both sides, but change the Constitution???... Puh-leeze!!! Jimmy Carter, a born again Baptist, would never have made such a promise. And I must say that whatever you think of Jimmy Carter’s politics, he has walked the walk of his religion and not just talked the talk. Through his foundation he is responsible for helping more people in third world countries and here at home than most government agencies or NGO’s. I don’t have a clue what he thinks about gay marriage or abortion and I don’t care. I do know he would never suggest amending the Constitution to make it adhere to the beliefs of one segment of the American people. He didn’t win the Nobel Peace Prize just for going to Sunday school 52 Sundays in a row and he never made the mistake of confusing his personal beliefs with the will of the people, let alone that of God.

The same cannot be said of our current President, George Bush. In the 2000 campaign he, with the help of his disciple Karl Rove, managed to create a powerful political base for himself by wooing conservative Christians of every stripe and masquerading as one of their own. Once in office, he systematically began to blur the distinction between church and state. Faith based initiatives were in. Family planning that included contraception and abortion was out. Signing orders were his vehicle of choice to push through his initiatives and the result is the mess we’re in now. In the seven years of his tenure he has shocked us all with his narcissism(“God wants me to be President”),cronyism, and mind boggling blunders( “you’re doing a heck of a job, Brownie”).

Ironically, this man who has spent the last three years trying to fashion a legacy has left an un-intended one for the campaign of 2008. He has so blurred the lines between religion and politics that Mike Huckabee can make the kind of remark that he did in that campaign speech to resounding approval and without causing even a ripple of protest from the public at large. He's not the only one. Obama and Hillary are tip-toeing through an undertow of race and gender issues as they praise the Lord in churches across the land—offering bits of personal spiritual biography along the way. Mitt Romney has even had to defend his Morman religion in a special speech. By the way, if Mitt had made the remark Huckabee did about changing the Constitution, do you think there would have been more outcry? You betcha.. The only one who isn’t opening his mouth on the subject of God is Rudy and that is because he is a twice-divorced Catholic who is not in such great standing with his church and who is too busy saying 9/11 to have time for anything else.

Which brings me to the end of my little homily. This is not a campaign for Christ. America is more multi cultural and multi racial than it has ever been We need to do better at getting along with each other and with the rest of the world The futuredepends upon it. Lets focus on the issues and the task before us and try to elect someone who won't bungle the job, whatever his personal beliefs. I think Jesus would approve.