Administration is symbol of contradictions

Editor,

Being Christian, this season of the year causes me to reflect evermore consciously upon the message of Christmas, upon religion, upon spirituality, upon Jesus' birth, life, teachings, and his impact upon humanity.

As I reflect upon this, I realize a very, very disturbing and conflicting gulf between how our president claims to follow divine guidance and how he acts in the world.

Now, before you think this is a Bush bashing letter, it is not.

In fact, what I see in President George W. Bush, I see all too often in myself if I am being totally honest. I can talk a good game, but when it comes to playing the game, I often fall far short of following the rules of my talk.

Regardless of my innermost beliefs and desires to follow my religious and spiritual teachings, it is very easy in many situations to fall into anger, attack, arrogant judgments, and actions which belie the Christian person I claim to be.

I have come to think of President Bush as a very strong symbol of the many contradictions between what our various religious and spiritual tools teach and how we think and act when "push comes to shove."

Just a thought as I sit here writing this in the week before Christmas. I can imagine Jesus shaking his head and saying: "Choose once again, my brother."

Bob McClellan

Polson