A Lesson in the Meaning of “Conscience”

Posted on January 15, 2005 in Accountability Crosstalk Journalists & Pundits Morals & Ethics Propaganda

Elkit, who speaks English as her second language, caught an interesting piece of bad writing/telecommenting. The media is spreading the word that Bush “regrets” certain things he said. What came out of the actual transcript of the interview was a very different sentiment:

“I’m not a regretful person,” he said. “I’m a look-forward, get-things-done type of person.”….

At the end of the interview, he was asked again about any regrets.

“I don’t know if it’s a regret, but certainly a lesson, to be mindful of what you say,” he said.

Let’s put it another way: this man is, by his own admission, not guided by conscience but by a brutish pragmaticism. This is no Christian president: Christ taught us to examine our actions not based on their fruits, but on the way they affect our works and our souls. When it comes to being vulnerable, George W. Bush is a quintessential coward. The trouble is that he comes straight out of Chapter 27 of Matthew and many are deceived by his professions of faith.

Yes, you heard me say it: what Bush lives and preaches is not Christianity. Nor can it be called faith. At best, he lives an illusion. At worst, he knows exactly what he is doing.