Bush's Almighty--a fickle god

I base a lot of my foreign policy decisions on some things that I think are true. One, I believe there's an Almighty. And, secondly, I believe one of the great gifts of the Almighty is the desire in everybody's soul, regardless of what you look like or where you live, to be free.

George W. Bush

That's what Bush said today to a group of businesspeople in Irvine, California. Unfortunately, I don't think any of them asked him why the Almighty made so many exclusions with regard to the "great gift." Like those hundreds of people rounded up and placed in prisons and abused, with no legal protections, then eventually set free when it was obvious they were not terrorists or terrorist supporters. Did they not also desire in their souls to be free?

Or how about the ones who are still in prison, still not receiving any legal protection, and still not brought to trial? Do they not long to be free?

Of course, we have to remember that Bush's version of "free" is not the version most of us live by. His version does not include free speech, the right to vote in a fair election, or the right of free assembly. I think I'll pass on his god, too.