Rick Santorum: The Thread

[TrueFaith77]

Originally Posted by KarmaContestant

John F. Kennedy:

and then...
"I do not speak for my church on public matters—and the church does not speak for me. Whatever issue may come before me as President—on birth control, divorce, censorship, gambling or any other subject—I will make my decision in accordance with these views, in accordance with what my conscience tells me to be the national interest, and without regard to outside religious pressures or dictates. And no power or threat of punishment could cause me to decide otherwise. But if the time should ever come—and I do not concede any conflict to be even remotely possible—when my office would require me to either violate my conscience or violate the national interest, then I would resign the office; and I hope any conscientious public servant would do the same."

In other words, the office of the President is above being influenced by personal faith, and when a conflict does arise, he or she should resign. In that regard, Sntorum shouldn't even be running for any office, let alone the nation's highest.

By what should a President (or person) be influenced? The Kennedy support for McCarthy (famously, over Alger Hiss) suggests, for example, that his "faith" induced values that were antithetical to Communism--or was that just plain old Patriotism more than Catholicism, or national interest not Catholicism. My point is: I don't know because I'm not in his head, maybe he was an automotan run by Daddy. And I would question how much Santorum would be influenced by the Vatican. He seems a bit more pro-war than the Pope.