The Republican Media- No. 28

For George W. Bush, in a statement reportedly made to televangelist James Robison in 1999, it was "I feel like God wants me to run for President.,,, I can't explain it, but I sense my country is going to need me."

In 2006, Michele Bachmann prayed and "God then called me to run for the United States Congress." Asked earlier this year about a run for the White House, the Minnesotan replied "yes, I've had that calling and that tugging on my heart that this is the right thing to do." A calling, she later explained to Bob Schieffer, comes about "when I pray, I pray believing that God will speak to me and give me an answer to that prayer."

And now Rick Perry. Just before he entered the presidential race everyone knew he would enter, the Texas governor proclaimed "I'm not ready to tell you that I'm ready to announce that I'm in. But I'm getting more and more comfortable every day that this is what I've been called to do. This is what America needs."

He, too, has been called, a condition largely unexplored by the mainstream media, one which is in danger of becoming a trend. Governor Perry may indeed have a special calling, but only if each of the following four conditions is met:

1) God exists;

2) God is (currently) active in the world;

3) God has a keen- and particular- interest in the affairs of this nation, including its political judgement;

4) God believes that judgement should be exercised by election of Rick Perry as president

Note that this judgement need not be wisely exercised by Perry's election; only that He would prefer that the governor become #45. This could be for any one of a number of reasons because the judgement which God exercises is not always that which an individual or a nation would welcome.

Nevertheless, all four conditions need be met for Perry's claim to be accurate. Now that Perry has become the favorite (by national polls, for what little that is worth) for his party's nomination, the media ought to ask the Governor why he believes God has an interest in this nation's choice of governing officials exceeding the electorate's choice in any other nation. That in turn would beg the question of why God would prefer Mr. Perry over, say, fellow ultra- conservative and observant Christian Rick Santorum. The public then would be able to form its own opinion as to whether Perry has a unique insight into the Almighty's thinking- or is instead a raving egomaniac.

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