Does George W. Bush Support Barack Obama?

Last weekend President Bush's daughter was married in Crawford, Texas.  The man who officiated over the ceremony was Reverend Kirbyjon Caldwell, a  senior pastor of Windsor Village United Methodist Church. 

Why is this important? For weeks those on the right (and Hillary's surrogates of course) have told us that Barack Obama has been influenced and shares the beliefs of his pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.  The possibility that one's relationship with one's pastor can be spiritual and that one can have serious differences in personal and political arenas has been dismissed and scoffed away as the dwadlings of weak minds. 

So, if one's pastor, one's spiritual adviser has that much sway then it's only natural that the man described as Bush's spiritual adviser much also have influence over the President, his daughter and the rest of the Bush family.

Allow me to quote:

Caldwell has long been a spiritual advisor to George W. Bush. The evangelical convictions of both Caldwell and Bush are well-known.

And,

An influential Houston minister who has long been a spiritual adviser to President George W. Bush says he will endorse Barack Obama's bid for the presidency.

The Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, senior pastor of Windsor Village United Methodist Church, said Saturday that he's backing the Illinois senator because of Obama's "character, confidence and courage."

Obama, a Democrat, is electable and "would do a wonderful job to bring people together to pursue a common vision we all have," said Caldwell

But that's different, they'll say.

Why?  Because Rev. Wright says things that are specifically afro-centric?  That's a more sinister message?  That's something that HAS TO transcend from the pulpit to the mind of the congregate whereas other political ideals will not?  Think about that for a minute and then laugh with me at the hypocrisy of that particular rationale.

Obviously, Bush doesn't have to believe all of what his pastor says yet Obama must have.  Why would anyone draw the line in the sand at this ridiculous point unless it were purely to attempt to tear Obama down?   Is someone out there so delusional that they give Bush more mental control, more self-confidence than they do Obama?  Someone who says Bush is a stronger person - this drug and alcohol addicted AWOL frat boy up against the president of the Harvard Law Review?

Set aside the message for one minute and let's go back to my original assertion - that a person can have a pastor, an aunt, a crazy old uncle, or even a cult-following father (as I do) and have a long-term relationship with that person and not necessarily accept their views.  See? My assertion stands the test of hypocrisy.  Does yours? 

Personally I don't care who supervised Jenna Bush's marriage.  I am not the one who ascribed such importance to the convictions of religious leaders.  But that's why I'm not a nutty, freaky, "anything to win" theocon windbag. 

- rick, drawing parallels. 

Comments

[Success Warrior]

I think that to save everyone from continuing with these sorts of discussion, King George should declare a state of emergency and postpone the election. Our leaders would be able to concentrate better on leading if they didn't have to worry about what we thought.

[a rose is a rose]

s w, please be careful what you wish for. i don't think king george is going to give it up (easily)