''So let me see if I got this straight. Obama's Christmas theology and mission is thus: Jesus is Ghandi. The wise men were non-greedy corporate executives. The "most important message" at Christmas is personal potential. And the "most important thing" children can do for their future is read and do math.''
First, unlike
preceding presidents who took pride in America's Judeo-Christian heritage and confessed the nature of Christ as Savior, our president (with the first lady at his side) brought the briefest and most impotent religious admonition in the history of presidential Christmas addresses on Dec. 24, describing the incomparable Bethlehem miracle as merely containing a benign "message of peace and brotherhood that continues to inspire more than 2,000 years after Jesus' birth."
The presidential yuletide moment of the week and season, however, dipped far further under the radar just a few days before on Dec. 22. It was Obama's visit Monday to the Boys and Girls Club in Washington, D.C., during which he had a free exchange (non-teleprompter) discussion with the children about Christmas. All seemed to be going fine until after the president read "The Polar Express" and led a discussion on what the kids wanted from Santa, when a few children brought up the real reason for the season.
Here's the actual transcript (with a little of my own parenthetical Christmas commentary to boot):
President: I think one thing that's important to remember is that, even though there's a lot of fun at Christmas, you know, you got – especially when it's snowy like this, so it's pretty outside, you got the Christmas tree, you got the Christmas cookies, you've got presents. You know, I think that the most important thing is just to remember why we celebrate Christmas.
(So far so good, Mr. President, but there's a child with his hand up right in front of you!)
Child: I know!
President: Do you know?
Child: The birth of baby Jesus.
(If you can't see in your mind's eye the president getting hot around the collar, check out the video version.)
President: The birth of baby Jesus, and what he symbolizes for people all around the world is the possibility of peace and people treating each other with respect. And so I just hope that spirit of giving that's so important at Christmas, I hope all of you guys remember that as well. ...
(Where is South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson when you need him? Wrong, Mr. President! You didn't speak for the majority of Americans when you declared in Turkey last April, "We are not a Christian nation," and you don't speak for "people all around the world" about the birth of the baby Jesus, especially when you define him merely as a community coordinator and social reconciler. His main mission and message was as the Redeemer of mankind – the Savior with a self-confessed mission to "give his life as a ransom for many" to forgive all our sins and reconcile God and human's relationship.) http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=120227