In which George Bush sees God

Bush was interviewed (last week, I think) by EWTN Global Catholic Network about the visit to the US of Pope Benny, who he calls “a really important figure in a lot of ways.” And they’re alike in so many ways (they both have old Hitler Youth uniforms in the back of their closets, for example): “I so subscribe to his notion that there are -- there’s right and wrong in life, that moral relativism has a danger of undermining the capacity to have more hopeful and free societies”.

ASK A STUPID QUESTION:

Q: You read his book on Europe, I’m told.

BUSH: Well, I read parts of it, yes.

Well, looked at the pictures.

SPEAKING CLEARLY: “I’m also, as you know, a believer in the value of human life for the -- whether it’s -- you know, the most vulnerable amongst us. And he speaks clearly to that, as well.” That makes one of you.

WHAT AL QAIDA CAN’T POSSIBLY SAY TO SOMEBODY: No one who’s got a vision as dark and dim as al Qaeda can possibly say to somebody, follow me, my vision is hopeful or positive.”

WHAT INVIGORATES OUR SOUL: “It invigorates our soul to know that we have saved a baby that could be dying of a mosquito bite.”

WHAT HE WILL REMIND THE POPE OF: “And I’m looking forward to talking to His Holy Father, and I will remind him this isn’t a George W. Bush deal; this is America.”

WHAT THIS IS: “There are a lot of innocent men, women and children who are being killed by them, as well. This is their techniques, this is their tactics”.

QUIT IT! “Well, one thing we can do is to keep our troops there long enough to have a civil society emerge, and go after them, and go after these killers, and bring them to justice so they quit killing people, including our own troops, because this is a war.”

HE’S PROBABLY ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO TALKS IN MOVIE THEATERS TOO: “Because I -- you know, I’m going to the Olympics, for starters. And I’ve -- my plans aren’t -- haven’t changed. And the reason why is because I can talk to him about religious freedom prior to the Olympics, during the Olympics and after the Olympics -- which I have done. I don’t need the Olympics to express my position to the Chinese leadership on freedom. I just don’t need them -- because that’s all I have been doing as your President.”

IN OTHER WORDS: “in other words -- if people say, well, you need to express yourself clearly about freedom of religion, my answer is, what do you think I’ve been doing?”

OLD, BUT WITH THE MIND OF A CHILD: “But nobody needs to call old -- tell old George Bush what to -- that he needs to bring religious freedom to the doorstep of the Chinese, because I’ve done that now for -- I’m on my eighth year doing it.”

WHAT IS IN OUR NATIONAL INTERESTS: “I think it’s important for people to understand that a culture of life is in our national interests”.

WHAT ELSE HE WILL REMIND THE POPE OF: “And I’m going to remind His Holy Father how important his voice is in making it easier for politicians like me to be able to kind of stand and defend our positions that are, I think, very important positions to take.”

YOU GOT A LITTLE SOMETHING IN YOUR EYE THERE:

Q: You said, famously, when you looked into Vladimir Putin’s eyes you saw his soul.

BUSH: Yes.

Q: When you look into Benedict XVI’s eyes what do you see?

BUSH: God.