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["Shea Tisdale" <shea AT sheatisdale.com>]

David Minton wrote:
> On 10/1/04 8:44 AM, "Evan Zimmerman" <evan.zimmerman AT gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > The Daily Show was "ok". It's always good, but they never seem to
> > quite pull off the live ones.
> >
> > I'd agree that this was a pretty substantive debate -- I noticed many
> > of the pundits afterward seemed stunned that it wasn't "boring" and
> > uneventful as they had all seemed to predict (and as the president was
> > presumed to be hoping for). All of the polls I saw afterward leaned
> > ttoward Kerry as the winner, but he didn't have to win with sucker
> > punches, which was nice.
> >
> > I was stunned about the certainty that Bush kept on with -- all the
> > polls going into this said pretty unequivocally that if the country
> > kept Bush most wanted him to "change". Giving a sign that he was
> > willing to admit mistakes and correct the course might have washed
> > Kerry out, but he didn't/couldn't do it. I was surprised by that -- I
> > thought that was his trump card.
> 
> My feeling is that he can't admit to a mistake. I can't put my finger on a
> quote, but I believe Bush has said that he prays for guidance, and has a
> personal relationship with God. If that is the case, to admit a mistake is
> to admit God is not infallible. Sort of a no win position for the
> President.

At the very least he is so arrogant that he can't admit an error.  I really
liked where he said "I know how the world works."  I think that is pretty
damned arrogant and ignorant.  

Anyway, about your post on Bush and God.  It does seem like Bush believes
that he has a mandate from God and that God is on our side.  An excellent
write up of this is at:  

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/121/story_12112_1.html
An Evolving Faith
Does the president believe he has a divine mandate?
By Deborah Caldwell.

The BBC did an article on it as well.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2921345.stm

I'm not sure the particular quote you are looking for, but there are plenty
out there.  A few I have kept around are below...

April 13, 2004 news conference:  "I also have this belief, strong belief,
that freedom is not this country's gift to the world. Freedom is the
Almighty's gift to every man and woman in this world, And as the greatest
power on the face of the Earth, we have an obligation to help spread that
freedom."

Before his run for the Presidency he told a close friend James Robinson: 'I
feel like God wants me to run for President. I can't explain it, but I sense
my country is going to need me. Something is going to happen... I know it
won't be easy on me or my family, but God wants me to do it.'



I know you liked the Bob Woodward book.  Some of my favorite Bush quotes are
in there or in interviews with Woodward.

"I'm the commander -- see, I don't need to explain -- I do not need to
explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being the
president. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but
I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation."
-- interviewed by Bob Woodward, Crawford, TX, August 20, 2002.