Bush: Blame God, Not Me.

[Maddy McCall]

After weeks of blaming others for the disastrous response to Katrina, Bush used the pulpit at the National Prayer Service to blame the biggest scapegoat of all: God.

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By Amy Sullivan


Sept. 17, 2005 | WASHINGTON -- There must be such a thing as divine mercy because the God who sends plagues of locusts and zaps people into pillars of salt would have surely struck down George W. Bush at the pulpit Friday morning. The administration's multipronged strategy to repair the damage wrought to cherished areas of the president's reputation was on full display at the National Prayer Service, which Bush called to remember victims of the hurricane. Bused-in evacuees from New Orleans? Check. Promotion of faith-based organizations? Check. Shifting blame to others? Check. This time, however, after weeks of laying blame at the doorsteps of Louisiana state officials and the mayor of New Orleans and even some of the victims themselves, Bush chose a bigger target: He blamed God.

As in much of what we've heard from Bush over the past few weeks, there was a whiff of the surreal. He bemoaned the "arbitrary harm" caused by the hurricane, the unanswerable question of why God allows bad things to happen , and noted that "the greatest hardship fell upon citizens already facing lives of struggle" -- as if that were merely a coincidence. The service was filled with references to the fury of natural disaster and the shock of unexpected devastation.

But Americans weren't shocked by the death and despair caused by Hurricane Katrina -- we've seen enough scenes of winds whipping tattered coastlines to know what can result, and we've even witnessed massive flooding, although never concentrated in one major city like this. What did shock Americans was the death and despair caused by human inaction. When T.D. Jakes, Bush's handpicked preacher for the event, reflected on the story of the Good Samaritan, the story could have been illustrated in many minds with images of New Orleans residents left to suffer by the side of the road as rescue passed them by.

snip/

Sneaked into the service, though, was one rebuke to the president, delivered by Bishop John Chane of Washington's Episcopal Diocese, the official host of the event and a man who has not hesitated to criticize Bush in the past. Before he led the opening prayer, Chane reminded the audience, "Our Lord Jesus reminds us that faith without works is nothing."

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2005/09/17/god/index.html

[Hawkeye-X]

1. So he now denies responsibility for Katrina disaster?

What a flip-flopper!

Hi Maddy! Glad to see you made it through the storm. :hug: :hi:

[Maddy McCall]

3. Hi, Hawk.

We are doing fine. :hug: :pals:

[strategery blunder]

2. I wonder how well this will go over with the fundies

:evilgrin:

[ikojo]

6. Since many of the fundies believe god actually does cause

catastrophic storms and such as punishment for the sins of the world, it will go down quite well with them. Bush and Rove know EXACTLY what they are doing when they speak the god language.

The fundies don't care about the victims of Katrina. All they care about is how they can USE the victims to line the coffers of their very comfortable ministers and other church leaders, at the local and national level. They also care about how they can use this for political gain.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. Arbitrary harm...... disappearing the BC surplus didn't cause any

"arbitrary harm", having the elderly cut their meds in half over Pharmco greed doesn't cause any "arbitrary harm", having children lose their mothers and fathers in Iraq for not a gd thing doesn't cause any "arbitrary harm" the tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians are no longer experiencing any "arbitrary harm", the homeless veterans on the streets don't experience any "arbitrary harm", the Iraq massacre veterans missing limbs aren't experiencing any "arbitrary harm"...

This whole gd country has experienced "arbitrary harm" at the hands of the NEOCONS for the last five years, so let's get off the "arbitrary harm" bullshit and call it what it is. This administration was, is and will be stuck on stupid for the duration, and we are the recipients of their ideological/extremist behavior.

[applegrove]

5. Finally - he finds the right scapegoat. The one CHRISTIANS ARE

ALWAYS SUPPOSED TO USE - BECAUSE THE IT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE CHRISTIAN - GOD GAVE HIS SON SO OTHERS WOULD NOT BE SCAPEGOATED - CREATING CHRISTIANITY AT EXACTLY THE SAME TIME AS HE GAVE HIS SON FOR ALL SINS!!

Man - that guy is stupid. Those African American ministers must have had a talk-with-him - like you would not believe.

P.S. I hope you include yourself and your political advisers in with the 'natural disaster'. A ten year old would have done a better job.

[expatriot]

7. How about the unanswerable question of why God allowed YOU to happen? nt

[insane_cratic_gal]

8. What if God

was out to destroy you? It wasn't' the Hurricane after all that sank NO, it was the under funded levees and "pork" cuts.

What if God's trying to tell you something? Do you all remember the billboard from the 2004 election season. There was a picture of Bush that was flayed from the storm, all ripped and torn. Under it showed through clearly "Is God trying to speak to you?"

So I don't God is on your side W, I think he's trying to roast you.

[justgamma]

9. God? Are you listening?

Please understand. Shrub doesn't do nuances. He can't take a hint.
How about a good old fashioned lightening strike?

[kiraboo]

10. LMAO! Nicely put. n/t

[RedCloud]

11. God is pissed at Bush.

This is obvious.

Doubters should try to explain where God was 9/11?