George Bush and Sean Hannity

Just finished watching part of Sean Hannity's interview with President Bush. When asked what was the secret of his deep, abiding faith, the president said it was because of prayer. He finds prayer a great comfort. His faith is personal, he said, and very important to him. He then added the standard lines about a president not trying to use his office to force others to follow his faith. He said something along the lines of, "The great thing about America is that you can be religious, or you can have no religion, and still be patriotic." I'm sure that is true, and I'm sure it was important for the president to say that one week before the election. He then managed to mention Christians, Jews and Muslims in the same sentence. Finally, he mentioned that he reads Oswald Chambers' devotional classic, My Utmost for His Highest. only he called it something like, My Utmost to his Highest, or something like that. Then he added that it's important for him to be "in the Word" every day. That's good evangelical language for what we used to call daily devotions or "the quiet time."

The president looked both energized and a bit tired. The long days on the campaign trail take their toll after a while. He and his entourage go from place to place, repeating the same themes, trying to stir their core supporters, and to find the few remaining undecided.

I happen to like President Bush and I hope he is re-elected. No big surprise there. What struck me tonight is the simple and plainspoken way he talked about his faith. It's not elegant or deep, but it is since and obviously Bible-based. He connects with millions of Americans as someone they can trust. When the dust settles, I think he will win the election, but that is far from a sure thing. Perhaps the American people will turn to John Kerry to lead them for the next four years. But if President Bush wins next week, I think it will be less because of specific policies and more because of the man himself.  They will say, "This man is not perfect, but I like him and I trust him to lead us in these dangerous times."

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