This man seems almost delusional. But people will read this and think he a Jesus incarnate. Reading it was almost like listening to him – it makes me sick and angry and I have to force myself to sit through it….

BUSH CALLS FOR 'CULTURE CHANGE'

… I'm giving a speech next Tuesday that will talk about a clash of ideologies. … Monday night was a speech to explain to the people that we, you know, that we know where we're going. It's not going to be easy, by the way.

I believe there's a clash of ideologies and I think—I just know—that America must be firm in our resolve and confident in our belief that freedom is the mightiest gift to everybody in the world and that free societies will be peaceful societies.

… the job of a president is to help cultures change. The culture needs to be changed. I call it, so people can understand what I'm talking about, changing the culture from one that says, "If it feels good, do it, and if you've got a problem, blame somebody else," to a culture in which each of us understands we're responsible for the decisions we make in life. I call it the responsibility era. … I can be a voice of cultural change.

… my job is to try to distill things down so that average people can understand it. Here's the way I put it, "Government can hand out money, but it cannot put love in people's hearts or a sense of purpose in people's lives."

Or I like to tell people, "If you're a drunk, sometimes a psychologist can talk you out of it, but generally it requires a higher power. If you change your heart, you change your behavior." And government must recognize that those heart changers are an important part of changing society one soul at a time.

So the faith-based initiative recognizes that there is an army of compassion that needs to be nurtured, rallied, called forth, and funded, without causing the army to have to lose the reason it's an army in the first place.

… I don't want this [the marriage constitutional amendment] decided by judges. It's too big an issue.

The role of government is to help foster cultural change as well as to protect institutions in our society that are an important part of the culture.

… Look, I'm not griping because life in a bubble is pretty comfortable. But there's obviously a lot of pressure, and lot of background noise, and there's a lot of small voices constantly hammering away.

… that's why I need Father Richard [Neuhaus] around more, he helps me articulate these things—I say, "It helps a lot." And people say, "Well how do you know?" I say, "Well if I have to explain it to you how I know then you can't possibly get it. I just know." And it matters a lot. It has made being the President of the United States a heck of a lot easier to be sustained by the prayers of the people and my own personal prayers.

… And next year I'll read the One-Year Bible again. I read it every other year and a half.

… But I'm the kind of person who doesn't change.

… Well, my job is to speak clearly and when you say something, mean it

… But I never apologized to the Arab world.

… I think what we're dealing with are people—extreme, radical people—who've got a deep desire to spread an ideology that is anti-women, anti-free thought, anti- art and science, you know, that couch their language in religious terms. But that doesn't make them religious people. I think they conveniently use religion to kill. The religion I know is not one that encourages killing. I think that they want to drive us out of parts of the world so they're better able to have a base from which to operate. I think it's very much more like an … "ism" than a group with territorial ambition.

More like a what?

An "ism" like Communism that knows no boundaries, as opposed to a power that takes land for gold or land for oil or whatever it might be. I don't see their ambition as territorial. I see their ambition as seeking safe haven. And I know they want to create power vacuums into which they are able to flow.

… you know, you're trying to lure me down a road [where] … I'm incapable of winning the debate. But I'm smart enough to understand when I'm about to get nuanced out. No, I think they have a perverted view of what religion should be, and it is not based upon peace and love and compassion—quite the opposite. These are people that will kill at the drop of a hat, and they will kill anybody, which means there are no rules.

… It's essential that those who articulate the position that defends traditional marriage as the only definition of marriage do so in a compassionate way. I like to quote [from the Bible's book of] Matthew, that you know, I'm not going to try to take a speck out of your eye when I've got a log in my own. You know what I'm saying... Politicized means, put it in a context of a real process which to me will change the debate from where it needs to be.

…I won the Electoral College vote and not the popular vote. And people talk about that and that doesn't bother me because had the election been based upon a popular election vote, I'd have run a different kind of campaign. I'd have spent more time in my state of Texas trying to turn out the vote. …

The truth of the matter is, it's not your focus when you're running for president. Again, if it was pure popular vote, you'd run a completely different campaign. You'd spend TV money for example in neighborhoods where you know you're going to do well to try to find the extra 100,000 votes or whatever it may be. In this kind of campaign, if you're going to do well in a neighborhood, you don't spend resources there but you spend them where you may not do so well.

…. But I did get to finish in a way. Laura and I went to our ranch and just said, "You know, put the best people in place to help on the vote count down there, James Baker and others, and be prepared for the presidency if it happens."

…People have got to understand that the definition of marriage is being changed act by act. And the reason I thought a constitutional amendment was the right avenue on this issue it's because it would prevent the definition—it would reaffirm the current definition of marriage and prevent it from being changed decision by decision or act by act.

Is the idea for school vouchers still alive? Mainly through the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Initiative thus far.

… And if you've got ideas … because I'm interested in stimulating different thoughts.

… One of the interesting things we did was create kind of a start-up laboratory for faith-based programs. We wanted to make sure the grant money didn't just go to the largest, established organizations like Catholic Charities, which has done great work, but to the Fishing School here in Washington—small, little social entrepreneurs that start with one prayer group and end up with 1,000 people over time.

… Faith-based initiative has existed ever since faith began. We just want to fund it.

… Death. That's the hardest part of any war.

… I'm in a world of, sometimes a world of fakery, and obfuscation, political back shots

…Separation of church and state [is] important in America. And by that I mean the people of faith should participate in the state, and there's a difference.

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CNN ASKS FLORIDA COURT FOR INELIGIBLE VOTERS LIST

As Florida county election boards review a list of thousands of potentially ineligible voters -- including some who may be felons -- CNN is suing the state, claiming the public and media should also be able to review the list.

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PUBLIC INFORMATION, PRIVATE PROFIT?

For 25 years, the clearest window into the murky world of federal contracting has been an obscure public database available to anyone for a nominal fee. No longer. Under a new deal approved by the White House, the government's voluminous compilation of contracting information has been turned over to a contractor.

In signing the $24 million deal, the Bush Administration has privatized not only the collection and distribution of the data, but the database itself. For the first time since the system was established, the information will not be available directly to the public or subject to the Freedom of Information Act, according to federal officials.

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This actually a fascinating map (if you have time the comments on the Political Animal provide additional “color”.) At first I thought it was weird that someone would take the time to do this. I guess it really is but interesting none the less for such a trivial subject. The map was done at East Central College in Ada, Oklahoma. My grandparents (two sets) lived in Ada for many years. Most Christmas’ were spent there. East Central was close enough to walk to when we were older. My mom and dad both grew up there. My sister (and one of my bosses) graduated from there. Synchonicity, eh.

GENERIC SOFT DRINK NAMES BY COUNTY