Why the Focus on Religion?

Mark Levin says

“Mike Huckabee is now becoming a very divisive figure in the Republican party. It’s not his faith or his Merry Christmas commercial that many conservatives question (I certainly don’t), but it’s his record as governor and his stated positions on the war, foreign policy generally, taxes, spending, and illegal aliens.”

Quite so.  And yet, what does the press focus on? His religious expression, which last I knew, was supposed to be free. Indeed, the diaper filling contest the left and the press engaged in, complaining about Huckabee’s ‘crime’ of having a cross of Christ in the ad, could hardly have been more self-righteous had Huckabee intentionally chosen to use a Swastika, instead of the bookshelf he used without recognizing the image of the cross. In fact I’m willing to bet that those complaining about it so loudly now would in that event consider that such an ad would be protected speech.

So the question becomes, why all the focus on religion as regards the Huckabee campaign? Frankly, I don’t think that the majority of what we’re seeing is what Huckabee intends. Rather, I suspect what’s going on, is the press is redirecting the public’s attention off of his stand on the issues that Levin mentions. Remember the story that we ran here, some weeks ago that suggested that the Democrats as a matter of policy were backing off of Huckabee so as to be able to destroy him in the general election? I suggest that it is still a motivation.  I also suggest that what’s going on here is that the press and the left are hoping to destroy the religious right along with Huckabee, in that same move.

But I think that there is a serious miscalculation going on here.. perhaps intentionally so. As Levin notes, Huckabee’s biggest problem isn’t his religion, or the expression of it. His biggest problem, even among evangelicals, is his policies. Thompson said the other day Huckabee is no conservative… and he’s right about that.
So defeating Huckabee, doesn’t defeat the Religious right. Just the religious… including the religious LEFT…  And I’m not convinced that’s an attitude we Americans should be taking, if freedom of religious expression is as dear to us as some are claiming.