(2003-12-26) Dean The Christian

Howard Dean prays daily. Asked whether a presidential candidate could win without talking about religious faith, Dean said, "RichardNixon and Ronald Reagan never said much about Religion. I think it's important, and you have to respect other people's religious beliefs and honor them, but you don't have to pander to them." He added, "That's why I don't get offended when George H W Bush or Joseph Lieberman talk about their religion . . . I have a feeling it has something to do with them as a human being, and they are entitled to talk about what makes them human." I believe that's strike3...

Jan27 update: Cathy Young says Perhaps partly in reaction to Franklin Foer's article, Dean has tried to repackage himself, rather clumsily, as a man of faith. The results have been rather pathetic to watch, since his new persona is so transparently an act dictated by political strategy. Whatever points Dean may have scored with his God talk, he has probably lost by looking opportunistic and insincere. The fault, however, lies not only with him but with a political climate in which a politician who is not very devout is advised to fake it.