Former Deputy Director of the Faith-Based Initiative Speaks Up posted by Ben

David Kuo on why Bush's faith-based initiative has floundered -- Beliefnet.com

Make sure you read the entire article! And if you're surprised... use that surprise as a jumping off point to discover all the other surprising (and often horrifying) things your president has done.

I served in the White House for two-and-a-half years as a Special Assistant to the president and eventually as Deputy Director of the Faith-Based Initiative. I have deep respect, appreciation, and affection for the president. No one who knows him even a tiny bit doubts the sincerity and compassion of his heart. Likewise, the people around the president are good and caring people. I know this firsthand because I experienced it during a health crisis in my own life when their kindness was evident.

That is why writing this is difficult.

There was minimal senior White House commitment to the faith-based agenda.

Capitol Hill gridlock could have been smashed by minimal West Wing effort. No administration since LBJ's has had a more successful legislative track record than this one. From tax cuts to Medicare, the White House gets what the White House really wants. It never really wanted the "poor people stuff."

Not only were the tax items dropped from the 2001 tax relief bill, they were also ignored on numerous occasions when they could have been implemented. In December 2001, for instance, Sen. Daschle approached the Domestic Policy Council with an offer to pass a charity relief bill that contained many of the president's campaign tax incentive policies plus new money for the widely-popular and faith-based-friendly Social Services Block Grant. The White House legislative affairs office rolled their eyes while others on senior staff yawned. We had to leave the offer on the table.

They could afford to. Who was going to hold them accountable? Drug addicts, alcoholics, poor moms, struggling urban social service organizations, and pastors aren't quite the NRA. Charities haven't quite figured out the lobbying thing yet. More significantly, over time it became clearer that the White House didn't have to expend any political capital for pro-poor legislation. The initiative powerfully appealed to both conservative Christians and urban faith leaders - regardless of how much money was being appropriated.

Conservative Christian donors, faith leaders, and opinion makers grew to see the initiative as an embodiment of the president's own faith. Democratic opposition was understood as an attack on his personal faith. And since this community's most powerful leaders - men like James Dobson of Focus on the Family - weren't anti-poverty leaders, they didn't care about money. The Faith-Based Office was the cross around the White Houses' neck showing the president's own faith orientation. That was sufficient.

Now, what makes this at all relevant to a left-leaning Democrat? Precisely, it is that Bush tried to and succeeded in claiming the mantle of moral superiority from the Democrats. He portrayed himself as a faithful advocate for the poor, the sick, and the downtrodden. But when it came time to follow through, what did he do? He gave massive tax cuts to the richest Americans and placed the burden of funding his wars on the poor, the middle class, and future generations. And before you scoff at me, look at the numbers yourself.

Update: Take a look at this story from the mainstream press and connect your own dots.