Victory
21-10-03, 18:03
Conservatives Back Gen. in Remarks Flap
Mon Oct 20, 6:58 PM ET Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo!
By LIBBY QUAID, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Religious conservatives in Congress are defending a Pentagon (news - web sites) general who referred to the war on terror as a Christian fight against Satan.
In remarks many consider demeaning to Islam, Army Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin has told church audiences his mission is "a battle with Satan." The struggle, Boykin said, is "because we're a Christian nation, because our foundation and our roots are Judeo-Christian ... and the enemy is a guy named Satan."
Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan., drafted a letter Monday asking Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld not to discipline Boykin, saying that elected officials and military leaders have talked about God and spiritual matters throughout U.S. history.
"As elected officials serving in the United States Congress, we recognize the vital importance our personal faiths play in helping us make decisions," Tiahrt wrote. "We ask that any actions taken in response to Lt. Gen. Boykin's remarks not, in any way, intimidate the free religious exercise of his faith."
Boykin, a three-star general, is deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence. He's also told audiences that President Bush (news - web sites) is in the White House "because God put him there for a time such as this," and he once said after a 1993 battle with a Muslim warlord in Somalia, "I knew that my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God, and his was an idol."
The general apologized Friday to those offended by his comments.
Pentagon officials released Boykin's statement Friday after hours of weighing how to quell the criticism of the general's speeches, some of which he made while in uniform.
Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites), seemed to reproach the general Sunday on ABC's "This Week."
"The president's views on this are absolutely clear, and I think the president is very clear on what he means here," Rice said. "This is not a war between religions. No one should describe it as such."
Rumsfeld has declined to comment on Boykin's statements or say whether he would take action. A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment on the letter Monday.
The Kansas congressman circulated the letter among colleagues, including Missouri Republican Rep. Todd Akin, who signed it. Tiahrt serves on the defense spending subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, while Akin serves on the House Armed Services Committee.
"The general is an outstanding leader and is widely respected in the military," said Akin spokesman Steve Taylor. "He has expressed he needs to be more guarded in his statements, and the congressman believes that is sufficient. And he agrees with Secretary Rumsfeld that he is an exemplary public servant."
Mon Oct 20, 6:58 PM ET Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo!
By LIBBY QUAID, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Religious conservatives in Congress are defending a Pentagon (news - web sites) general who referred to the war on terror as a Christian fight against Satan.
In remarks many consider demeaning to Islam, Army Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin has told church audiences his mission is "a battle with Satan." The struggle, Boykin said, is "because we're a Christian nation, because our foundation and our roots are Judeo-Christian ... and the enemy is a guy named Satan."
Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan., drafted a letter Monday asking Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld not to discipline Boykin, saying that elected officials and military leaders have talked about God and spiritual matters throughout U.S. history.
"As elected officials serving in the United States Congress, we recognize the vital importance our personal faiths play in helping us make decisions," Tiahrt wrote. "We ask that any actions taken in response to Lt. Gen. Boykin's remarks not, in any way, intimidate the free religious exercise of his faith."
Boykin, a three-star general, is deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence. He's also told audiences that President Bush (news - web sites) is in the White House "because God put him there for a time such as this," and he once said after a 1993 battle with a Muslim warlord in Somalia, "I knew that my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God, and his was an idol."
The general apologized Friday to those offended by his comments.
Pentagon officials released Boykin's statement Friday after hours of weighing how to quell the criticism of the general's speeches, some of which he made while in uniform.
Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites), seemed to reproach the general Sunday on ABC's "This Week."
"The president's views on this are absolutely clear, and I think the president is very clear on what he means here," Rice said. "This is not a war between religions. No one should describe it as such."
Rumsfeld has declined to comment on Boykin's statements or say whether he would take action. A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment on the letter Monday.
The Kansas congressman circulated the letter among colleagues, including Missouri Republican Rep. Todd Akin, who signed it. Tiahrt serves on the defense spending subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, while Akin serves on the House Armed Services Committee.
"The general is an outstanding leader and is widely respected in the military," said Akin spokesman Steve Taylor. "He has expressed he needs to be more guarded in his statements, and the congressman believes that is sufficient. And he agrees with Secretary Rumsfeld that he is an exemplary public servant."