The New Road

Kuo and the Faith Based Initiative

The book Tempting Faith was just released. This book documents Bushs' "Faith Based Initiatives" program. It's author, David Kuo was the second in command of the office. While many have found his recounting of how the administration called preachers 'nuts' the most salacious thing in the book, I did not. I actually find that's the first thing I agree on with this administration.

What I found revealing was how Rove wanted the Faith Based Initiative office, not because it would help people, but because it would create another web issue. Something new for Democrats to be against. In fact, the external concept was that to end discrimination against faith based groups, and the office could never actually find such a case. It was like the "War Against Christmas", it was all just smoke and mirrors meant to whip up the base and to have the Democrats try and justify church versus state.

Everyone talks about how divided the country is right now, about how divisive the politics are. That's by design. It's really one man, Karl Rove, who's job it is to find wedge issues and drive and drive them until it seems that there is no commonality between left and right at all. It's sad to see. All this effort to try and disrupt the country for cheap partisan political gain. All at the time when we need cohesiveness the most.

I realize that wedge issues are what keeps politicians in power. But at a certain point, doesn't the health of the country come first? Is Rove willing to destroy what's left of the polity of this country just to retain power? I'm not sure I want to know the answer.