I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Article 2, Section 1 of the Constitution requires that before presidents can assume their duties they must take the oath of office. The completion of this thirty-five-word oath ends one president’s term and begins the next. It has been taken by all presidents since George Washington. For a thoughtful dissertation, read this by Lyle Denniston, Supreme Court reporter and contributor. (We also provide the full Constitution for your study here.)
Asked by Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press” whether he could support a Muslim for president, Dr. Ben Carson replied, “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that.”
The resulting furor that erupted from the PC Police and Muslim political activists (like CAIR) was fierce and instantaneous, and it continues to be discussed and debated even now. Many people predicted Carson’s reply would actually swamp his chances for waging a successful campaign because the remarks were decreed to be too divisive, and more importantly, were in violation of the Article VI of The United States Constitution, which in part states: “No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”
But something very interesting has happened to the Carson campaign since then. He did not tank in the polls, and he did not suffer the loss of growing public opinion from his remarks. (Americans seem to agree more than we might have thought) Moreover, his donor numbers have actually increased.
I think it’s time we examined some of this a little further – unlike our news commentators, political pundits and the news media at large, who seem to be reading from the same template when it comes to reporting what any of the candidates are actually saying. This is especially true for those running for office who identify themselves as Conservative Republicans.
First, Dr. Carson did not say a Muslim could not run for President. It is thoroughly unfair and inaccurate to even suggest that he did. Read his quote again if there is any confusion about that. Just to be clear, this same Constitution permits the exercise of free speech. Even for people running for elected office.
Second, what kind of a question is that to ask Dr. Carson? Is it one of those hypothetical “gotcha” questions like the one posed to Jeb Bush by Megan Kelly that began with “Knowing what you know now…”? Or, is there something else going on here? Look to see if this the kind of question has been posed to any Democratic Party candidate. I tried and I haven’t discovered anything yet. I’ll alert you when I do.
Third, think about why this particular kind of question would be pushed out this particular election year. Now that is indeed a tantalizing point to ponder.
The news media is determined to bring drama, confusion, obfuscation, and misdirection into their heavily edited presentation. Make no mistake… the dominant media (the drive-by media as Rush Limbaugh brilliantly refers to them) are not much more than a propaganda tool for the pervasive liberal/progressive political class. The Democratic Party has little to fear from their tactics and very much to gain. It can easily be posited, for example, that the last two presidential campaigns were shaped and directed by the media’s influence.
The biggest mistake we can make with the media is the assumption they can and are working from a position of knowledge and understanding; that they possess some kind of authoritative perspective and are able to clearly and objectively articulate the issues of our day. That notion is patently absurd. Everything is presented with a very politically-driven world-view. We must not believe anything we are told at face value and therefore we must examine and research everything for ourselves. The truth is out there. We simply must look harder than we once did.
But don’t buy into the meme delivered by all the media that Conservative Christians can’t make a statement like Dr. Carson’s. Because, it’s not only legal, it’s completely defensible, appropriate and even necessary. Dr. Carson is a professing Christian and his world-view does not accept the recurring theme for example that “Islam is a religion of peace”. Read Andrew McCarthy’s comments as an example for some added amplification. He knows, as we all should, that preserving, protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States is not at all compatible for a sincere, ardent and practicing Muslim if he lives by the law of the Koran and the Sharia. The more you know about Islam and Muslims the more you know this position is not based on some form of religious xenophobia either. Here is an excerpt from Pat Buchanan’s recent Real Clear Politics article:
Yes, this is certainly going to be a very interesting election year…. because world-view matters now more than ever.
[*defined here as play-acting – edit.]