...not mighty nations armed to the teeth.

What makes me nervous about statements like this is not that Mr. Bush might be praying for guidance, or even that he might consider that "unusual travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God"* on the political road now open to him. However, what if his belief that he is not only elected but of the Elect allows him to believe that his own personal views are somehow endorsed by the Almighty? What if it lets him believe that any voice that opposes those views is inspired not by a different aspect of the myriad Divine Intelligence, but by Satan?

I don't believe Mr. Bush is a bad man, but I don't believe he is a humble one, either. Humility is an important virtue in a religious person, because it allows one to admit the possibility that sometimes when we hear the Voice of God, we forget to turn on our hearing aids. Emily Litella would understand.

Regards, Dan--
Mary Anne

*Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Cat's Cradle