I had a little fun with Karl Rove the other day.
“The Architect” sent me an e-mail regarding my statement in “Keeping Faith with the GOP”—intended to be taken with humor, placed as it was after the story of “Brother Orchid”—that “Brothers Rollins, Rove et alia are not exactly banging down the doors of the eternal city to gain admission to its spiritual club.” (This, of course, is a description of those in the upper reaches of spirituality—e.g., Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II…)
Without revealing the contents of his e-mail, suffice it to say—I don’t think he was amused.
Turning lemons into lemonade, I replied: “I take your response as a positive sign that you are, in fact, banging down the doors of Heaven more than is conventionally believed... a good sign in the face of a daunting challenge this election season, where Divine assistance could certainly come in handy...”
At this point in the election cycle—less than a week out from what is universally predicted by the liberal media, armed with multitudinous polls, to be a debacle of near-historic proportions for the GOP—it would seem an ideal time to start cranking out that lemonade.
Just think back to victory in 2004.
In many ways that victory was even more unlikely than in 2006. The economy was less robust; the deficit more gaping; the explosive Mideast and nuclear proliferation—big talk from opposition candidates notwithstanding—still without clear solutions.
Yet, unbelievably, we won.
Sure, Karl Rove’s political and technical mastery and that of his very capable team was a huge factor; as was, of course, President Bush’s fabulous energy on the stump—they say Bill Clinton is a “performance artist,” but President Bush in 2004 was so much more compelling.
But, what many of us, who put more trust in God than in fallible creatures and concomitantly fallible government, whispered to each other after the 2004 election, was our belief that Bush’s victory in 2004 was due as much, if not more, to prayer—of the mind and heart, as well as of the senses, (i.e., giving up some creature comfort to strengthen spoken prayer’s impact).
Now, when voters consider what’s at stake this election year—appointment of judges who recognize the family is society’s foundation; a foreign policy rooted in reason and resolve not fear and retreat; an economy that remains strong by investing less in government and more in the creative energy of Americans—I have to believe that lemonade, made with lots of prayer and not a few lemons, will help defy conventional wisdom—showing, yet again, that "banging down the doors of the eternal city" helps move hearts and minds in a tight election.
Based on recent developments, the prayers seem to be working.
To wit, the North Koreans have just agreed to resume Six-Party Nuclear Disarmament Talks.
And, Sen. John Kerry, whom Democrats in their collective wisdom chose to lead their presidential ticket in 2004, has callously insulted every man and woman in the U.S. military—reminding voters once again why Democrats are wrong to lead America at this crucial juncture in our nation’s history.
Yes, Heaven help us!
