Faithless

Is Bush a man of faith, or does he just play one on TV? Barely a day after conservative Tucker Carlson revealed the Republican elite's contempt for the Jesus voters, we have a new revelation from David Kuo, self-described "compassionate conservative."

Kuo served in the White House Faith-Based Initiative program, first as Special Assistant, next as Deputy Director. A year ago, after leaving the program, Kuo denounced "Republican indifference and knee-jerk Democratic opposition." He told the Washington Post: "From tax cuts to Medicare, the White House gets what the White House really wants. It never really wanted the 'poor people stuff.'"

Damning words -- unheard by the saved. Perhaps they'll listen to what Kuo has to say now, in his new book Tempting Faith. His argument: The Bush White House conosiders evangelical Christians to be useful idiots.

He says some of the nation’s most prominent evangelical leaders were known in the office of presidential political strategist Karl Rove as “the nuts.”

“National Christian leaders received hugs and smiles in person and then were dismissed behind their backs and described as ‘ridiculous,’ ‘out of control,’ and just plain ‘goofy,’” Kuo writes.

More seriously, Kuo alleges that then-White House political affairs director Ken Mehlman knowingly participated in a scheme to use the office, and taxpayer funds, to mount ostensibly “nonpartisan” events that were, in reality, designed with the intent of mobilizing religious voters in 20 targeted races.

According to Kuo, “Ken loved the idea and gave us our marching orders.”

Among those marching orders, Kuo says, was Mehlman’s mandate to conceal the true nature of the events.

Keith Olbermann did a fine piece on Kuo today and has promised more tomorrow.

Odd, isn't it, how all this is coming out at once? It's as though an unseen hand switched off the "Mighty Wurlitzer" of G.O.P. propaganda.

Those of you with an instinct for the conspiratorial angle may be intrigued to learn that Kuo once did a stint for the CIA. (He also worked for John Ashcroft when Ashcroft was in the Senate.) We have, in the past, noted the tensions between CIA and this White House.

Now that Kuo has exposed the charade, how should Democrats respond? Perhaps Dems should pledge to make the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives work as promised.