Mr. Kimball,

Perhaps Bush’s speech writers had some such passage in mind??? Far more likely they just wanted to misleadingly appropriate Jefferson to prop up their erratic rhetoric. Jefferson’s anti-clericalism – a rather attractive part of his Enlightenment kit – mingled consistently with his respect for religious tradition and the notion that they could be separated for political convenience is as perfect a symbol of this administration as I can conceive.

Regards,

SC