Now They Tell Us

Pete Wehner suddenly discovers the risk of overt religiosity in politics:

Jesus's entire ministry was directed against the pretensions of earthly power, and Christianity is trans-political, beholden to no party and no ideology. The City of Man and the City of God are different, and we should respect and honor those differences.

Pete has long been a fan of both Karl Rove and Bill Bennett, prime architects of the use of religion as a tool not just in the public square but in partisan politics. Somehow, I don't remember him caviling at this quote from Tom DeLay pitching to a Republican crowd last year:

"Sides are being chosen, and the future of man hangs in the balance! The enemies of virtue may be on the march, but they have not won, and if we put our trust in Christ, they never will ... It is for us then to do as our heroes have always done and put our faith in the perfect redeeming love of Jesus Christ."

The Republican establishment was fine with Christianism as long as they controlled it. But as soon as a Christianist comes along that they cannot control, like Huckabee, they rediscover secularism. How conveeenient. In some ways, I think Huckabee has a chip on his shoulder for a good reason.