Family Feud

A major battle has broken out between the Bush White House and religious conservatives.

Responding to anti-Islam comments from several leading religious conservatives, President Bush said on Wednesday that the statements did

Thursday, Colin Powell followed up with an

"We will reject the kinds of comments you have seen recently, where people in this country say that Muslims are responsible for the killing of all Jews and who put out hatred. This kind of hatred must be rejected. This kind of language must be spoken out against. We cannot allow this image to go forth of America because it is an inaccurate image of America."

This one-two punch by the Administration has enraged some religious conservatives. In an email to his supporters, former presidential candidate Gary Bauer, a popular figure among religious conservatives, responded to Bush's comments by saying: "The statement demonstrated an unbecoming ingratitude" since religious conservatives are "the very people who helped deliver the votes that gave the White House its congressional majority. Perhaps a 'thank you' would have been more timely."

The White House had probably been intending to do something like this for some time but held off until after the election, so as to not dampen enthusiasm among crucial evangelical Christian voters, says Michael Cromartie, director of the evangelical studies program at the Ethics and Public Policy Institute. "Why alienate the base before the election? Why not do it now when you have serious political capital?" Cromartie, who has close ties to the White House, speculated that they did this as part of their preparation for a war against Iraq. "We're about to go war with Iraq and we want to make it real clear that this is not against Islam and religious freedom. It's a war against radical Islamicists who have distorted true Islam."

The White House apparently felt that the televangelists' comments, if left standing, would undermine Bush's efforts to project an image of tolerance. "He (Bush) wanted a clear statement," a senior White House official told Reuters.

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