For the right reasons?

When I see articles like this one about support for George Bush in Utah, I can't help but wonder about some people's reasoning. Yes, many are supporting the Christian in^[1] Chief because of specific political views or specific actions he's taken of which they approve. But many support him simply because he's Christian, or simply because they think he's a "nice guy", or for equally vacuous and irrelevant reasons.

(^[1] Jim points out, in the comments, that the above epithet, which I'd intended as sarcastic, does a disservice to Christians — and there are many — who do not support Bush. I've therefore struck out the epithet.)

"I like George Bush because he is God fearing, and that's how a lot of people in this area feel."

So says one Utah resident, a 22-year-old woman from Provo. And Ron Craft, who describes himself as a devout Mormon and a strong conservative expresses his support for Bush because of his "character", despite disagreeing with the Iraq war and the Katrina disaster:

"I'm against the war in Iraq — and what happened with Hurricane Katrina, well, it was a failure by everybody."
      [...]
"I tend to judge a person by their character. And President Bush reminds me of President Reagan. He's a man of principle."

Principles, though, and character and fear of God don't build coherent governments, fix the economy, or manage disaster recovery.

But at least Mr Craft is aware of the issues, even if he chooses to ignore them. This college student hasn't got a clue:

Another student at Brigham Young, Danielle Pulsipher, a junior, offered blanket approval of the president. Asked to name which of his actions as president she liked most, she was hard-pressed to answer. "I'm not sure of anything he's done, but I like that he's religious — that's really important," Ms. Pulsipher said.

Certainly more important than actually running the country without running it into the ground, yes, indeed.

Christianity over competence.
Character over issues.
Principles over actions.

And then there's this:

In interviews, voters uniformly said they were standing by the president, even as they listed things they disagreed with. "I like his honesty," said Allison Wilkey, a mother of three.

Honesty? Honesty? Ah, yes, right, his honesty about the WMDs in Iraq. His honesty about the reasons for invading and destroying the country. His honesty about giving no-bid contracts to his buddies. His honesty about spying on Americans. Admitting that faith saved him from alcoholism doesn't make him "honest".

To be sure, there are many in Utah, and elsewhere, who base their support of King George on his actions and on the issues, and, while I disagree with them, I can respect that their support is there for the right reasons. But the blind, empty-minded "supporters" are frightening.