...I hate to write this, but I have too many questions about what's going on these days

http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/benamon/061023

Who is President George W. Bush? Is he the passionate conservative he claims?

I am finding myself asking that question a lot these days as I see over and over, issues that concern conservatives go undone. If the President were serious about conservative causes, his ardent conservative supporters would have seen a whole lot more action than we are seeing presently. Conservatives have definitely been vocal to the Bush administration about the causes they support. And we are still trying to get the President's attention on important key issues.

For example, the effort to fully protect our borders has become a joke. Everything is now being approached for political purposes, and not necessarily for our nation's protection. We are at war, and leaving an open border screams, "Come get me!" Half of the reason Washington is not immediately cracking down on the border is because they are pandering to certain groups of people in our country, and it has become epidemic as politicians and the President try to please everybody to make themselves look good.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not attacking the President, but I am questioning his methods, because he's not fully backing up what he says. For example, if we are going to be tough on terror, let's be tough on terror without trying to worry about what others will think of us.

I've spoken about Bush's humility in the past, but was that merely a front before the cameras? I wonder, what's going on behind the scenes?

True conservatism has been watered down in an effort to gain a political following. The hefty negative price paid is a society that is in danger of losing its moral compass and traditional values.

It's quite telling when during most of his term, the President has touted principle, values, and compassionate conservatism. The term "compassionate conservatism" came up just last year in March when the President visited my city to talk about his Social Security plan. As a person who proudly shared the stage with him as one of his ardent supporters, I remember that during that speech, he talked about the need to show compassion in society. If you see someone who is hurting, help them, etc.

I remember backing President Bush wholeheartedly then. I thought, "Here's a man with conscience and heart."

Currently, to me, the President's words seem to me like a case of, "Do as I say, not as I do."

President Bush has had to play defense these days to deflect criticism on his job performance. But if he would stick to what he originally campaigned on, leading the charge, putting strong emphasis on values, he will regain the respect of conservatives who he has likely abandoned.

Conservatives close to the President aren't very happy either. The October 23rd issue of TIME magazine (pages 64-66) highlighted the White House experience of David Kuo, a former assistant to President Bush and Deputy Director of Bush's Faith-Based and Community Initiatives program. Mr. Kuo reveals in his new book, Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction, how some in the Bush administration shrugged off and talked about those in the religious community behind closed doors, but courted them during election time. The President would earmark funds to go to specific outreaches in the faith community to help, for example, the destitute and broken. A new drug treatment initiative was to receive $3 billion, but that money never went toward the program.

Some in the Bush administration went as far as to call Christians who were politically involved "nuts." The truly, dedicated people who thought they had the President's backing were called out of their name by an administration who they thought were their friends.

Even the Faith-Based Initiative was considered by some of the White House staff as "the F-ing Faith-Based Initiative." Obviously, the staff wasn't tactful in hiding their disgust for the program.

Who is President George W. Bush? If he indeed snubbed evangelicals, then the President's assertion of being the conservative leader have been false.

Republicans have been about values and securing conservative causes, up to a point. So to back peddle on the conservative agenda makes President Bush and his staff pseudo conservatives. It's quite disconcerting as many have been led to believe that the President truly supports conservative causes.

In an age where Christianity is becoming more (and wrongfully) vilified, all I need to see is a leader of strength and veracity to fight back and declare our traditions and Christian heritage to remain in tact across this nation. The entire group of Republican representation in Washington could learn to work together in unity on conservative issues. As we prompt and let our leaders know where we stand, we should expect that they will deliver in Washington, that they will be just as concerned as we are. Conviction and character is lacking in Washington. Those who say they are Christian are hypocrites if they are playing others for a fool in order to stay in power.

Should one champion the conservative belief, he should back them up...to make good on his/her promises. As a President who has declared Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, I would have expected more from President Bush. I would think that his faith would reflect back into his actions.

As a conservative Christian, I will continue to pray for the President and his administration, but I will continue to question the President's motives for conducting business the way he has, and why he has ignored key important issues facing our country today.

Does the President know that mid-term elections are approaching in less than a month, and that we are at war?

If he wants to keep a majority in the House and Senate, perhaps he should re-focus on just why he won a second term.

Those "Values Voters" played a huge part in it. And we aren't going away.


Related Reading

Why a Christian in the White House Felt Betrayed:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1546580,00.html

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