John,
I agree. It would be nice to know something about Bush's ranch and his equipment, and whether he uses it himself. I apparently helped open this whole religion can of worms by using the term "deify" when I could have expressed much the same opinion by objecting to what I saw as excessive praise for the man, using other terms. While my personal beliefs about religion are probably closer to those of the man from Krypton that to those of the majority of the other posters to this discussion, I do not specifically object to Bush's religion or to his public proclamations of his beliefs. In fact, before reading some of the insigtful comments in this thread, I cannot say I had even considered his religious beliefs as significant. In part, this is due to my general perception of the tendency of politicians to express religious convictions which may or may not be genuine, but also to my belief in the enduring strength of the principal of the separation of church and state in this country. Perhaps if I knew more about Bush and his tractors, I'd find something to admire. I see him as a rich frat boy who, after failing to make anything of himself, was selected by his daddy's rich friends to be groomed for poliitcal office for their benefit. As to his quiet-but-strong nature, I am reminded of the old saying about keeping quiet and being thought a fool rather than speaking and removing all doubt. (The previous sentence would look really good in blue and applied to me.) Has he done OK so far with this war that he doesn't want to declare as a war? I suppose, though some of the ramifications of the "war on terrorism" in this country do concern me, as has been expressed by others in this thread. For me, part of this concern is due to John Ashcroft's religious beliefs. He was my governor for eight long years, and I doubt his ability to distinguish between his religious and moral views, and the laws he is supposed to enforce. I guess I always thought of Bush's religious beliefs as rather benign compared to those of Saint John.
So, does GW drive his own tractor, or does he have a chauffeur?
Chuck
