Sometimes one has to seriously wonder whether the religious right is playing a game to see who can get away with saying the craziest thing. Last week, William J. Bennett, a poster boy of the "moral majority," claimed that "you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down." Mr. Bennett, author of "The Moral Compass" and "The Book of Virtues," quickly pointed out that he, of course, would never advocate such an extreme measure.
Although Mr. Bennett's comment should not even be given the dignity of a public outcry, perhaps it ought to be considered simply because of its relevance to American politics.
Despite its obligatory disapproval of William J. Bennett's recent comments, the Bush administration is undoubtedly linked to the religious icon. Not only was Mr. Bennett the secretary of education in the Reagan administration, but he also served as the drug czar in the first Bush administration and has well-established ties to the Bush family.
While the association between President George W. Bush and a man considering genocide is certainly disturbing, a more worrisome prospect is the religious right's general impact on Bush administration policy. By allowing a radical cultural sect unprecedented influence on governmental affairs, the United States is following a dangerous course.
In the run-up to his first campaign for the presidency, George W. Bush proclaimed, "I feel like God wants me to run for president." Since Bush's victory in 2000, it seems like God has become an integral part of every decision made by the Bush administration, from the invasion of Iraq to the U.S. exclusion from the Kyoto Protocol.
With radical Christians filling important positions — not to mention the president's own relationship with Jesus — few would doubt the influence of outside evangelicals on the Bush administration. When John Ashcroft says, "[Americans] have no king but Jesus," it is hard to believe that the religious right does not have direct access to the White House.
Regardless of the extent to which Bush administration policy is being dictated by the religious right, leaders of the movement are certainly not timid about giving their advice on politics. Recently, Pat Robertson essentially called for the assassination of Venezuela's president, noting, as a good Christian would, that such action would likely not interrupt the supply of oil from Venezuela to the United States. Perhaps their most outlandish advice is ignored, but the very thought that radical members of the religious right have any influence whatsoever on the Bush administration is nauseating.
Conservative Christians have unquestionably played a key role in President Bush's electoral success. Nonetheless, however obligated the Bush administration is to satisfy the desires of this core support base, it cannot simply disregard common sense. Unfortunately, with its "faith-based initiatives," uncertainty about evolution, and opposition to embryonic stem cell research, that is exactly what the administration has done.
Not many people can remember a time when the line separating church and state was as blurred as it is now. The Bush administration has become so reliant on its Christian support that religion has come to play a role in nearly every decision made by the president.
Americans deserve a government that acts rationally and makes sound decisions based on common knowledge. By constantly appeasing the religious right, President Bush is dictating the future of the United States according to advice from a small group of radical evangelicals.
Regrettably, it is likely that William J. Bennett will come out of his controversy unscathed; and if current trends continue, expect him to be advising the president soon.
Rob Rossmeissl ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in political science.
