COMMENTARY | After his words at an Ohio tea party gathering made headlines and he was roundly criticized for stirring up the conspiracy theory that President Barack Obama might not be a Christian, Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum backtracked and attempted a clarification of his assertions Sunday on CBS' "Face The Nation."
He claimed that he did not mean to question whether or not Obama was a Christian, only that he meant "different theology" in that Obama had a different worldview in regard to global warming and his "radical environmentalism."
Does the Penn State-educated lawyer actually believe that anyone that heard or read his comments questioning the president's "theology" truly thinks that he meant that Obama was not a dominionist? Or that he was not questioning Obama's Christianity? And although Santorum did accuse Obama of raising the cost of energy and not drilling for oil, was the average listener supposed to accept that he was actually only questioning Obama's stance on global warming?
Still, that's how Santorum tried to spin the tea party speech a day later...
He told "Face The Nation" anchor Bob Schieffer that he was not questioning the president's religious beliefs. He said he accepts "the fact that the president is a Christian."
"I just said that when you have a world view that elevates the Earth above man," he further explained, "and says that we can't take those resources, because we're going to harm the Earth by things that frankly are just not scientifically proven." He went on to say that it was an effort to increase the centralization of government. He also said he believed it was a different way of thinking than what most Americans would choose to do.
Although there are areas of contention, the idea of global warming is scientifically substantiated and has even drawn support from former opponents hired by corporations to dispute the evidence. Only those who ignore the preponderance of scientific evidence, tow the Christian dominionist line, and push the pro-corporate anti-environment agenda believe otherwise.
This is not saying that Santorum is a dominionist or misguided in ignoring science. It is meant to say that Santorum is himself a bit of a radical anti-environmentalist.
"It's not about your job. It's about some phony ideal, some phony theology," Santorum told a receptive tea party crowd in Ohio Saturday, according to CNN. "Oh, not a theology based on the Bible, a different theology. But no less a theology."
There is little doubt that Santorum bases his theology on the Bible. He maintains publicly that there is no higher law that God's law (at least his version of it). He is avowed and staunch Catholic. His religious perspective pervades everything he says. No women in combat situations in the military. Women should be stay-at-home mothers and limit their workplace hours. No contraceptive devices or methods except abstinence. No abortions allowed even if the mother's life is in danger or the fetus is the result of a rape or an incestuous relationship. Iran is an enemy of God's people (Israel), making it alright for the U. S. (God-blessed and exceptional) to attack Iran in defense of their Middle Eastern ally.
This is not saying that the former Pennsylvania senator is a militant chauvinist theocrat. It is only meant to point out that Santorum fosters the idea of a patriarchal, pro-life, pre-emptive strike anti-environmentalism.
But the most glaring problem with Santorum's clarification on "Face The Nation" is his outright disingenuousness as to what he meant to convey at the Ohio tea party rally. Instead of making himself abundantly clear and stating that President Obama's ideology was different (perhaps even along the lines of godless liberal, as is often the charge from conservatives), he repeatedly used the term "theology" to describe the president's different-ness. This, even though President Obama has never given any indication that he has ever been anything other than a Christian. After allowing others to question the president's Christianity and morality as it applies to his job and the direction his administration plans for the nation, fully prompted by Santorum's own verbalized suggestions, he now maintains that he meant none of it, that he was talking about energy policy.
But this isn't to question Rick Santorum's truthfulness. It is simply to question his worldview on environmentalism.
84 comments