White House Christianity

My sister was a White House intern for a time, and she has some problems with the Kuo interview last night on 60 Minutes. This guy apparently wrote a book recently - and I missed the interview myself, but I have noticed the increasing attempt among mainstream media types to drive a wedge between the very Christian wing of the party and, on the other end, the Buckley/Will camp and their more libertarian allies.

Of her first-hand experience my sister (who, like myself, has a closer affiliation with that latter group) offers this observation:

I don't know what parallel universe Kuo occupied during his time at the White House but my limited exposure to the people on every level of the Bush Administration was completely different than his. My colleagues spoke of being "blessed" by good fortune, exclaimed "good NIGHT!" when surprised, showed discretion and a deep understanding that their position at the White House meant they were serving the American people. I was constantly reminded that my colleagues and fellow interns came from a different background than I. For the most part, they came from the Christian right and acted just as I expected they would.

And this is certainly consistent with what we know about the man at the top; like him or not, we can be certain that when Bush claims that Jesus Christ is his favorite philosopher - he admitting the truth, regardless (and in spite of) what Chris Matthews and Johanthan Alter are going to snicker about over canapé at the next cocktail party.

And any organization as large as the executive branch is going to have it's share of middle-level scoffers and cynics who think they are smarter than both upper management and the lower-level rank and file. The willingness of such people to participate in an interview during election season on one of the most notoriously liberal broadcasts in the media - while simultaneously pushing a new book - well, should we be surprised?

Are there real issues that have caused tension between the different wings of the Republican Party in recent memory? Certainly - Terry Shiavo, most obviously. But to claim the Bushies look down on these folks is sheer cynical spin, and simply wrong.

Tags: Kuo, 60 Minutes, Fundamentalism