Using God as a Club (Update)

Behold the Drudge headline: KERRY NOT SURE GOD ON AMERICA’S SIDE
Perhaps John Kerry thinks God is on Osama bin Laden’s side. Let’s see.

Democrat frontrunner John Kerry is not sure God is on America’s side in the war terrorism. Kerry made the startling comments during Sunday’s Democrat presidential debate in New York City.
Elizabeth Bumiller of the NEW YORK TIMES asked Kerry:
“President Bush has said that freedom and fear have always been at war, and God is not neutral between them. He’s made quite clear in his speeches that he feels God is on America’s side.
“Is God on America’s side?”
KERRY: Well, God will — look, I think — I believe in God, but I don’t believe, the way President Bush does, in invoking it all the time in that way. I think it is — we pray that God is on our side, and we pray hard. And God has been on our side through most of our existence.

It is a pretty weak answer. It’s also a ridiculous question.
Jerry Falwell said God punished America for abortion, feminism, lesbianism, and paganism by unleashing the September 11 attacks. I think it’s safe to assume John Kerry does not share Jerry Falwell’s twisted view of the universe.
Kerry mangled his words, but it’s clear what he meant. Bush brings God into the Terror War too often. I think Kerry is right. This isn’t a war between Christianity and Islam. It’s a war between liberal secular civilization and totalitarian religious fascism.
So let’s not pretend to be “startled,” as Matt Drudge does, because Kerry wants to keep the spirit of the Crusades out of our language.
UPDATE: I’d like to add an afterthought that occurred to me from the discussion in the comments. Israel and India are fighting the same enemy for the same reason. And neither country is Christian.
UPDATE: Andrew Sullivan highlights a nasty screed by Dennis Prager:

America is engaged in two wars for the survival of its civilization. The war over same-sex marriage and the war against Islamic totalitarianism are actually two fronts in the same war – a war for the preservation of the unique American creation known as Judeo-Christian civilization.
One enemy is religious extremism. The other is secular extremism.

Ugh.