"Armies of Compasion:" Crossing The Line Between Church And State

Whenever fundamentalists rule, you risk crossing the line between church and state. The W, Rove and Co has crossed it, and their transgressions are blurring the lines such that we now have a government that clearly, rather than obliquely, favors Christianity over any other of the world's religions. This can't be good for America or the Constitution by which it stands. Nor can it be good when a president, who regularly orders men and women to kill for America (particularly in Iraq), and then suggests that, by some stretch, that his administration is one that is compassionate.

Jim Towey is a dedicated public servant who has served as a vital member of my Administration for more than four years. Under his leadership, the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives has applied the compassion of America to help solve some of our most challenging problems. His office has held 23 conferences around the country, assisting tens of thousands among America's "armies of compassion." Eleven Federal departments and agencies now have Centers for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives that are building upon and expanding their good works in neighborhoods across the country.