The Bush Administration has provided plenty of tragedy and farce, but those waiting for a deus ex machina when it comes to Iraq are almost certain to be disappointed. Iraq was a manmade fiasco and it is the height of irresponsibility to believe a deity or fate will sort things out. It is important to recognize, however, how religious zealotry mucked up Iraq. For instance, it is now clear that the administration applied an anti-abortion litmus test that screened out competent diplomats in favor of political stoolies that would be responsible for reconstructing Iraq. It is also obvious that impressionable young soldiers believed they were part of a holy crusade. And it is also clear that a large percentage of the American public believed that Bush’s invasion of Iraq was the fulfillment of biblical prophecy involving the fall of Babylon.
The widespread corruption that permeated the reconstruction efforts, the torture and sexual abuse scandals, and the general incompetence of the Bush Administration belie the notion that Bush is governing as God’s representative on earth. The Founders established a contrary principle for understanding the intersection of religion and state. They didn’t believe that God ordained particular leaders, but they believed that all men are endowed by their creator with inalienable natural rights.
Dick Cheney once implied that America’s preeminence was part of God’s plan.
A Christmas card sent to supporters in 2003, for instance, read: “And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”
The invasion of Iraq, however, has precipitated a broad American decline; America’s moral standing, credibility, military readiness, and soft power have all plummeted under Bush/Cheney. Worse still, the defining act of the act of the Bush Administration – the invasion of Iraq – has inadvertently backfired to the advantage of America’s enemies, al-Qaeda and the mullahs in Iran. If this isn’t a reductio ad absurdum to the idea that God wanted Bush to be president I don’t know what is. It seems clear that so long as Bush and Cheney believe they are on a mission from God the United States doesn’t have a prayer.
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