Here’s the final question from Sunday’s Democratic debate. It’s asked by a reporter from the NY Times:
BUMILLER: Really fast, on a Sunday morning, President Bush has said that freedom and fear have always been at war, and God is not neutral between them. He’s made quite clear in his speeches that he feels God is on America’s side.
Really quick, is God on America’s side?
KERRY: Well, God will — look, I think — I believe in God, but I don’t believe, the way President Bush does, in invoking it all the time in that way. I think it is — we pray that God is on our side, and we pray hard. And God has been on our side through most of our existence.
BUMILLER: Senator?
EDWARDS: Well, there’s a wonderful story about Abraham Lincoln during the middle of the Civil War bringing in a group of leaders, and at the end of the meeting one of the leaders said, “Mr. President, can we pray, can we please join in prayer that God is on our side?” And Abraham Lincoln’s response was, “I won’t join you in that prayer, but I’ll join you in a prayer that we’re on God’s side.”
SHARPTON: And I think that’s the point…
BUMILLER: Reverend Sharpton?
SHARPTON: I think it’s important we’re on God’s side, as I said earlier, that we must (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
But I also think we’ve got to heal this president from feeling like he and America is the same thing. God is on America’s side. That does not mean He supports what George Bush…
RATHER: Fifteen seconds, Congressman.
KUCINICH: We need to break the spell of fear which is over this country. Remember where we come from as a country. When Francis Scott Key wrote that “Star-Spangled Banner,” he made the connection when he said, “Does that star-spangled banner yet wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave?” The connection between democracy and courage.
I would call out the courage of the American people, and defend our rights, cancel the Patriot Act, reestablish the fullness of our democracy.
Is God on America’s side? What kind of ridiculous question is that? This is journalism? What did she expect them to say? “Yes, I spoke to God this morning and he assured me that he is on our side.” If there is a god, I’d imagine he’d answer a la Treebeard. “I am not altogether on anybody’s side, because nobody is altogether on my side…”
Anyway, after “Super Tuesday” looks like it’ll be rich guy who married a richer heiress vs. rich guy who became president because of his daddy. Since Monkey in a Fez isn’t running this year, I guess I’ll vote for Kerry. At least he’s got that war hero thing going for him, even if he did vote for the war and Patriot Act.