Tuesday, July 01, 2008

More Faith-Based   [Byron York]

The Obama campaign is sending around a statement by John DiIulio, the first head of Bush's faith-based initiative and later of "Mayberry Machiavellis" fame, praising Obama's new faith-based proposal.

Senator Barack Obama has offered a principled, prudent, and problem-solving vision for the future of community-serving partnerships involving religious nonprofit organizations.  He has focused admirably on those groups that supply vital social services to people and communities in need.  His plan reminds me of much that was best in both then Vice President Al Gore's and then Texas Governor George W. Bush's respective first speeches on the subject in 1999. Especially in urban America, all the empirical evidence continues to show that local faith-based organizations can make a measurable civic difference. His constitutionally sound and administratively feasible ideas about community-serving partnerships hold special promise for truly disadvantaged children, youth, and families.  Many good community-serving initiatives can be built, expanded, or sustained on the common ground that Senator Obama has staked out for us here.

And, oh — Andrew Sullivan uses the word "Christianism" in association with Obama.  But it's OK; it might help Obama win big.

07/01 11:41 AMShare