Given Christopher Hitchens' (apparently) intimate knowlege of Karl Rove's 'inner life', I'd sure like to know who else was in the room when he (allegedly) offered up his one and only prayer...

The implication here is that Bush is a "Christian" because he *says* he is. This is a totally unChristian notion, as Jesus spent much of his time deriding the hypocrites. Tell a tree by its fruits, thrown to the fire, etc, etc.... No one has picked up this mantle as it's too powerful; it's implication more revolutionary than the hollow "religious liberals" would want anyone to see.

The elites know where their bread is buttered. They know how powerful religion is and how it helps make politics and law irrelevant. This is nothing new.

People like Rove are "cut-throats", and as cut-throats they respect nothing or no one in any situation that does not have the power to make them accountable. Power is the only way to their black hearts. Once your their they'll just kill you.

Make no mistake; The elites don't believe in god.... They believe they are god. How else could their immorality be explained?

Rove didn't exactly say he was an atheist. I read his statement like the kind of thing you would say if you were Satan's right-hand man on this planet, maybe if you sold your soul and had been damned to serving the devil for all eternity. "...not fortunate...," indeed.

But I'll admit that this interpretation probably fits too conveniently into my own World View.

Sorry, we don't want him. And frankly, I don't know why he wouldn't be attracted to a bloodthirsty psychopath like Jehovah anyway.

I would be disappointed to learn that Rove and I shared an unbelief were it not for the fact that I think many at the highest levels in the Bush administration are atheists and are just such cynical, opportunistic sacks of pus that they would do or say anything to further their ambitions.

They give atheism a bad name.

I'm Trying Not To Believe This, Because It Fits Too Perfectly Into My World View

Your view that the world is just a couple of smart assholes leading a bunch of dumb assholes, you mean?

Or maybe that's only my view.

Your view that the world is just a couple of smart assholes leading a bunch of dumb assholes, you mean?

Basically, yes. I've always suspected a lot of the people at the top of the "Christian" right in the U.S. are utterly cynical and consciously view their followers as sheep to be herded and sheared.

I've always suspected a lot of the people at the top of the "Christian" right in the U.S. are utterly cynical and consciously view their followers as sheep to be herded and sheared.

Kinda goes with the whole Neoconservative POV. (The POV that Strauss supposedly had, anyhow.)

Completely unsurprising.

I remember a report from the 2004 campaign about Rove going around the WH whistling "Onward Christian Soldiers," and later hearing a quote from Seneca about religion being important to people and useful to politicians -- Say it ain't so, Karl (& Karl).

BTW, love your comments at Tom Tomorrow's site.

The thing that I don't believe is that Rove would admit it. It would cost him nothing to just say he was christian, since no one would bother ranting about his lack of church attendance. Has anyone ever seen Rove actually admitting this in print? Hitch is not a reliable source to me.

Rove's not exactly someone we want on our team. And by team, I mean the International Atheist Conspiracy Softball team. Mofo throws like a girl.