Tim Pawlenty: "God's in Charge."

The Conservative Political Action Conference heard from another likely presidential candidate for 2012 on Friday – Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota. Mr. Pawlenty offered a series of what he called principles for the conservative movement that have become familiar here: Reducing the size of government, opposing President Obama’s health care plan, denouncing Mr. Obama’s handling of terrorists.

But at a conference where there has not been a lot of talk about social issues, Mr. Pawlenty raised one as he laid out the principles conservatives should follow.

The first one is this: “God’s in charge,” he said. “God is in charge.” Mr. Pawlenty’s remarks drew a wave of applause. “There are some people who say, ‘Oh, you know, Pawlenty, don’t bring that up. You know, it’s politically incorrect.’”

“Hogwash,” Mr. Pawlenty said. “These are enshrined in the founding documents and perspective of our country. In the Declaration of Independence, it says we are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights. It doesn’t say we’re endowed by Washington, D.C., or endowed by the bureaucrats or endowed by state government; it’s by our creator that we are given these rights.”

From The Caucus.

"We are endowed by our Creator"--sayeth the document, but nowhere is it specified, "What creator?" And in a more or less Christian-based environment, that might not have been a pressing issue. But the Founders did provide a clause for freedom of religion--which basically boils down to no institutional preferences. So what "god" exactly, does Gov. Pawlenty think is in charge? Because the last I checked, this governent wasn't of, by and for, God, but of, by and for the People.

I might have tried to explain how this came about, once. But the bottom line is--we have a democracy, not a theocracy. And a Republic, not a theocracy. And God is a perfectly acceptable belief*--but most decidedly not in charge of our government. We are. Tim Pawlenty is probably a panderer for saying what he said. Oh well. Panderers happen in the best of governments.

(For clarity's sake, I figured I better edit: I'm not endorsing a belief in God per se. I'm just allowing that it's fine for people who are religious to be in public life--so long as they don't impose their religious beliefs on others.)