Here's a question for you: if we are a Christian Nation, if our Great Leader is a born again Christian, if Jesus is, in fact, his "favorite political philosopher", then why was turning the other cheek never even discussed as a possible reaction to the terrorist attacks?
I am not advocating for a second that our nation should turn its "collective cheek" and simply allow further terrorist attacks to occur unopposed. I am simply asking why this most famous of Christ's teachings is so easily ignored by a country that proudly professes its Christianity. Shouldn't the question at least be asked? Shouldn't we at least have a good rationalization? Shouldn't a president, who claims Christ as his favorite political philosopher have a darn good explanation for why he abondons his philosophy as soon as it is put to the test?
As for me, I reject the idea that Jesus was a political philosopher. Spiritual, yes; political, no. Need advice on how to have a relationship with God or how to treat your fellow human beings? JC is your man. Want to know how a government should treat its citizens or deal with other governments? I just don't think it was in Christ's mission statement. Why, I don't know. Maybe it was beneath him. Maybe he had his hands full with all the rest of it. But in the end, I have to say, an individual turning his or her own cheek is one thing, and political leaders turning the cheeks of 280 million potential victims is quite another.
Unfortunately for Bush, this is not really an option if you attended the Bethlehem School of Political Philosophy. What the Big Guy said, the Big Guy said. What does it mean to interpret spiritual teachings as political if not to extrapolate the personal to the communal? If consistency were of import to Bush, he would have painted himself into a corner. Lucky for him, consistency is meaningless, and the national media, standing united, is not about to ask messy philosphical questions. When we ask "who is your favorite political philosopher?" we just want a sound bite, not the sticky details.
Just don't tell me we are a Chritian nation. If we were, we would care about the answer.
9:29:48 PM 
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