by Jim Tankersley
An old friend made a surprise appearance at President Bush's speech to a conference of faith-based groups this afternoon. Perhaps you remember him. He goes by "compassionate conservatism."
The phrase was a staple of the then-Texas governor's winning presidential campaign in 2000 before terrorism, war and a slumping American economy pushed it aside. Bush dusted it off today before an adoring crowd that celebrated his two-term effort to open the gates of government funding to religious groups working to combat homelessness, AIDS and other societal ailments.
In the process, he fondly recalled the early days of that first White House run, which, he noted, "seems like a long time ago."
"You've helped revolutionize the way government addresses the greatest challenges facing our society," Bush told the crowd. "I truly believe the Faith-Based Initiative is one of the most important initiatives of this administration."
The speech had a late-term, legacy-boosting feel to it, touting success in several areas - all of them stemming from the general concept that "faith" goes a lot farther than "bureaucracy." Here's an excerpt from the official White House transcript:
You know, when I ran for President, like a lot of others around our country, I was troubled to see so many of our citizens' greatest needs going unmet. Too many addicts walked the rough road of recovery alone. Too many prisoners had the desire for reform, but no one showed them a way. Across the country, the hungry and the homeless and the sick and the suffering begged for deliverance -- and too many heard only silence.
And the tragedy that was -- a lot of good folks in America, a lot of good men and women who had the desire to help, but didn't have the resources -- they had the heart, but not the resources. And because many of them worked with small charities, they were overlooked by Washington as potential partners in service. And because many of them belonged to faith-based organizations, they were often barred from receiving support from the federal government.
So I set about to change that, at least from the federal perspective, with an approach called "compassionate conservatism." This approach was compassionate because it was rooted in a timeless truth: that we ought to love our neighbors as we'd like to be loved ourselves. (Applause.) And it was conservative, because it recognized the limits of government: Bureaucracies can put money in people's hands, but they cannot put hope in a person's heart. (Applause.)
Putting hope in people's hearts is the mission of our nation's faith-based and community groups. And today we're going to herald some of the results of the collective work of compassionate Americans. To me, it does not matter if there's a crescent on your group's wall, a rabbi on your group's board, or Christ in your group's name. If your organization puts medicine in people's hands, food in people's mouths, or a roof over people's heads, then you're succeeding. (Applause.) And for the sake of our country, the government ought to support your work. (Applause.)
I was reviewing my first major policy speech as a candidate for President. It seems like a long time ago -- (laughter) -- July 22, 1999. Here's what I said. I said: "In every instance where my administration sees a responsibility to help people, we will look first to faith-based organizations, charities, and community groups that have shown their ability to save and change lives. We will make a determined attack on need, by promoting the compassionate acts of others."
As President, my first executive order was to establish the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives at the White House. (Applause.) And my next one led to the creation of Faith-Based and Community offices at 11 federal agencies. These offices were tasked with this new mission: to lower the legal and institutional barriers that prevented government and faith-based groups from working as partners -- and to ensure that the armies of compassion played a central role in our campaign to make America more promising and more just.
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Comments
Compassionate conservatism was never more than a phrase in this administration.
I hope getting religion out of the political process is one of the first corrections our next president makes.
Posted by: athena | June 26, 2008 6:56 PM
Sounds like the Emperor got new clothes for his birthday.
Posted by: bill r. | June 26, 2008 7:38 PM
That's right behind the 4100+ dead and 75,000 maimed and crippled in the war for the Oil fields of the Middle East !! Or is it after the misery and despair caused by the loan-sharking of our financial Corporations, or maybe the Oil Corps, or the deadly greed of the Healthcare Corps. Take your pick, good christians!! It's your call. I know what my call is, Senator Obama, he will not strangle America the way this inept Republican administration has done.
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | June 26, 2008 7:39 PM
"The speech had a late-term, legacy-boosting feel to it"
Bush's legacy:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/95599065@N00/2176032711/
Posted by: John E | June 26, 2008 8:43 PM
Rather than just blindly reporting what politicians say at a speech, the public would be well served if you provided a little context. For example, you could have pointed out that John Dilulio, the first head of Bush's Office of Faith Based Initiative has publicly said there was no substance to it. See his letter to Esquire here: http://www.esquire.com/features/dilulio
The deputy head of the office under Dilulio and his successor, David Kuo, has written a scathing book disclosing that the so called Faith Based Initiative was a big scam. You can read Kuo's blog telling about it here: http://www.beliefnet.com/story/160/story_16092_1.html
We depend on the media to do more than simply act as transcriptionists when politicians lie to us. If you're going to be a reporter, Google is your friend.
Posted by: Johnhotto | June 26, 2008 10:33 PM
What a bunch of bull!!!! There is no such animal as a compassionate conservative. Unless your talking money. Like McCains ad: Reform, Peace, Prosperity, McCain. The answer is none of the above. whiteagle38
Posted by: Whiteagle38 | June 26, 2008 10:38 PM
Quite honestly, if or when I might ever think of Bush in the future, the idea of, or the word compassion will never come to mind.
Posted by: Vivian | June 26, 2008 11:54 PM