Forgive me Father for THEY have sinned

President Obama, in what has become a predictable MO to keep his presidential suit clean, distanced himself from that messy group that he routinely purports to be part of, that is, Christians, this morning at the White House's annual Easter prayer breakfast.

“On Easter, I do reflect on the fact that as a Christian, I am supposed to love,” Mr. Obama said. “And I have to say that sometimes when I listen to less-than-loving expressions by Christians, I get concerned.”

Dramatic pause. “But that’s a topic for another day.”

But it isn’t, really, a topic for another day because Obama said all he meant to say, namely: I’m not one of those Christians. By pointing out everyone else’s flaws, his real intent shines through: He is distancing himself from that lower form he deplores, and he believes the world deplores, so he wants everyone to know that he is not one of them. This is his message: I’m not like the others. I’m enlightened.

Note that he’s not concerned about himself not loving others. He’s mortified by everyone else’s failure to love. And so he draws an invisible line around himself. Some might interpret this inclination as evidence of intractable self-righteousness. Let the reader decide.

Obama also distances himself from ordinary Americans. Every time he apologizes for what the United States does/doesn’t do, is/is not, he’s telling everyone outside our borders that he is not that type of American. He is compassionate. He is humble. His enlightened perspective on the United States and its intersection with world events causes him pain. He is moved to apologize for our failures. Over and over again.

Don’t believe me?
• He apologized to Europe for American “arrogance.” Only a humble person is enlightened enough to see the need to apologize for arrogance.
• He apologized to the Muslim world for our imperfections. I’m waiting for the Muslim world to apologize for all the spilled American blood that runs in Afghanistan.
• He apologized for our political stance at the Summit of the Americas.
• He apologized for our very being at the G-20 Summit of World Leaders.
• He apologized for the War on Terror.
• He apologized for Guantanamo (twice).
• He apologized to the Turkish Parliament for the “dark periods” of our history. Like we owe the Turks a defense?
• He apologized for our failure to be neighborly.
• He apologized for all our mistakes.

And on and on. See The Heritage Foundation Web site for a more exhaustive list.

There’s a biblical foundation for apologizing for a nation’s sins. But I don’t see Obama’s name in there, and I wish he’d quit apologizing for me and you to distance himself from us and our history. Either you’re with us or you’re not, Mr. President.

I think he’s made his choice.