Political philosophy? Jesus H. Christ!

GW Bush drew much ridicule during his 2000 campaign when he called Jesus Christ his favorite political philosopher. No doubt the pointy-headed pundits felt smug that he didn’t cite a real philosopher, like Machiavelli or Hobbes or Locke or Rousseau or Malthus, or at least a real spokesman for some version of the American vision, like Jefferson or Hamilton or Lincoln or Wilson.

But after four years, it’s time to take Dubya at his word. Jesus is his favorite political philosopher? All right, then. Where does the thought of Jesus inform the politics of Bush? I have yet to find it.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers. They will be recognized as the children of God.” Bush starts pre-emptive wars, without even sending enough troops to maintain order after his conquests.

Jesus said, “Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you and despitefully use you.” Bush bears false witness on a literally global scale in order to justify naming and attacking supposed enemies he couldn’t otherwise find.

Jesus said, “If you do it to the least of my brothers, you do it to me also.” Bush gives us Ashcroft, Gonzales, Abu Ghraib, Gitmo, and the suspension of habeas corpus.

Jesus said, “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and render unto God what is God’s.” He said, “Do not store up treasures on earth. Wherever your treasure is, your heart will be there, too.” Bush says we should take both what is Caesar’s and what is God’s, and keep it for ourselves; after all, we earned it, and Caesar and God can get by without any extra help from us.

Jesus said, "A good tree can't bear bad fruit, and a bad tree can't bear good fruit. You won’t know them by their appearances, but by their fruits." What kind of fruits does the Bush bear?