| Topic: |
Religions > Bible |
| User: |
"dangdangdoodle" |
| Date: |
13 Oct 2006 07:56:13 PM |
| Object: |
Does This Work Of You? |
Ex-aide to Bush says Christians derided privately in White House as 'nuts'
WASHINGTON (AP) - A former aide to President George W. Bush said evangelical
Christians were embraced for political gain at the White House but derided
privately as "nuts, ridiculous" and "goofy."
The allegations - denied by the White House on Friday - are in a new book by
David Kuo, a conservative Christian who was deputy director of Bush's Office
of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives until 2003.
The book describes Kuo's frustration at what he felt was lacklustre
enthusiasm in the White House for the program, which seeks to steer more
U.S. government social service contracts to religious organizations. Details
from the book, "Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction,"
were reported by MSNBC ahead of Monday's publication date.
Kuo singled out staffers in the office of Karl Rove, Bush's top political
adviser and deputy chief of staff, as particularly condescending toward
evangelical Christians, viewing them as necessary to help win elections but
ridiculing them behind the scenes.
Kuo also described how officials from the faith-based office were
systematically dispatched to hold large events in areas where there were key
House of Representatives and Senate races before the 2002 elections.
White House press secretary Tony Snow said he had not yet seen the book. But
he said Rove was asked if he made the comments and replied he had not. Kuo,
however, doesn't single out anyone by name as making the condescending
comments.
"These are people who are friends. You don't talk about friends that way,"
Snow said.
Bush's spokesman also said there was no attempt to exploit the office to
score political points and the president specifically directed it not be
politicized.
Snow denied Kuo's charge the White House's religious charities program
wasn't given the status it deserved, saying Bush's personal commitment to
the policy was solid. Kuo has complained publicly in the past that the White
House did not push hard enough for promisedl funding for religious groups to
help the poor.
Snow read from what he called a "very warm letter" Kuo wrote to Bush when he
left the White House. Kuo told the president he was proud of what the
initiative had accomplished and said: "It's your staff's keen awareness of
your unwavering support for this initiative that's made the difference."
Snow concluded the reports on the book "seem at odds with what he was saying
inside the building at the time he departed."
Kuo's account of how the faith-based office has been regarded inside the
White House recalls that of another high-level alumnus of the program. John
DiIulio, the faith-based office's first director, who quit in 2002, told
Esquire magazine "Mayberry Machiavellis" led by Rove based policy only on
re-election concerns. After his comments caused an uproar, DiIulio
apologized for making what he said were rude remarks.
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