Our Dear Leader--Contradictions, Vol. 1

Earlier this week the president held a media event with Hamid Karzai, Afghan President, in the Rose Garden at the White House. Here is an excerpt:

QUESTION:He said politicians should not wear religious faith on their sleeve.A lot of Republicans interpreted those remarks as being critical of you and your position of stem cell.I’d like to ask you about that.

BUSH:I — whether or not a politician should wear their — I think — I’ve always said I think it’s very important for someone not to try to take the speck out of somebody’s else’s eye when they may have a log in their own.In other words, I’m very mindful about saying, you know, “Oh, vote for me, I’m more religious than my neighbor.”

And I think it’s — I think it’s perfectly — I think it’s important for people of religion to serve.I think it is very important for people who are serving to make sure there’s a separation of church and state.(emphasis added)

(Washington Post)

Now see his performance yesterday at the Southern Baptist Convention.

INDIANAPOLIS, June 17 - President Bush’s re-election campaign took its effort to enlist churches in turning out conservative voters to the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention this week, to do everything short of risking their churches’ tax-exempt status to support the president’s re-election” (NY Times).