Missed Opportunity

After the Democratic "Debate" at Dartmouth, I was thinking again about the inappropriateness of Tim Russert's penultimate question asking each candidate to quote his or her favorite bible verse. I purposely did not capitalize the word there, because I want to make a point that at least the candidates had the option of quoting from something other than the Christian bible. But, of course, it was understood that was the book in question.

Here's the transcript of that line of questioning (you can see that, although they are aware of some basic stories, most of them don't know a bible verse, and I imagine pointing that out was the whole point of the exercise):

RUSSERT: I want to give everyone a chance in this. You just take 10 seconds.

Senator Clinton, favorite Bible verse?

CLINTON: The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I think it's a good rule for politics, too.

RUSSERT: Senator Gravel?

GRAVEL: The most important thing in life is love. That's what empowers courage, and courage implements the rest of our virtues.

RUSSERT: Congressman Kucinich?

KUCINICH: I carry that with me at every debate, this prayer from St. Francis, which says, "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace," and I believe very strongly that all of us can be instruments of peace. And that's what I try to bring to public life.

RUSSERT: Senator Edwards?

EDWARDS: It appears many times in the Bible, "What you do onto the least of those, you do onto me."

RUSSERT: Governor Richardson?

RICHARDSON: The Sermon on the Mount, because I believe it's an issue of social justice, equality, brotherly issues reflecting a nation that is deeply torn and needs to heal and come together.

DODD: The Good Samaritan would be a worthwhile sort of description of who we all ought to be in life.

RUSSERT: Senator Biden?

BIDEN: Christ's warning of the Pharisees. There are many Pharisees, and it's part of what has bankrupted some people's view about religion. And I worry about the Pharisees.

  

Sitting by the Gulf tide gazing out on the waters, thoughts sailing across the horizon as they do, it occurred to me that the Democratic candidates that night missed a great opportunity to have chosen to quote what I think would have been the most appropriate verse of all for the situation (check Bob's comment on the previous post for another possible response). Jesus, the Christ (most people seem to think that's his last name and not a title: Jesus Christ, versus Jesus, Christ) admonished his listeners to

Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.
[Matthew 22:21, King James Version]

- a very clear command to separate church and state.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.

P.S. And, by the way, the transcript isn't entirely complete. It seems that every site posting it has the same thing - probably copied from an original source. But I distinctly remember one of the two following Governor Richardson seconding him by first saying, "The sermon on the mount." It may have been Dodd, but I can't recall. It may have been Biden before he spouted about too many Pharisees, endearing himself to countless American Jews, no doubt.