The tent is big, not intelligent
I am not the only right-winger who grimaced in, at least in my case, disgust when reading or hearing President George W. Bush saying that Intelligent Design theory should be taught in schools along with evolution. Call me a Godless heathen (and why not, since I am a Lutheran), but I happen to find evolution a most convincing theory and ID an irrelevant narrative for people who see God as an interventionist fixer and tinkerer. To take up scarce (and maybe sometimes even valuable) classroom time to teach, preach, or discuss ID seems like a colossal waste.
Not to doubt the President’s sincerity, but I think his partial embrace of ID is more compassionate than passionate. I think he’s throwing the proverbial bone to the many evangelical Republican voters who support ID and or oppose evolutionary theory being taught in public schools. Since that’s what they want, and since this a is republic with strong democratic tendencies, and since they are an absolutely critical part of the Republican Big Tent coalition, I’m fine with the President’s cavalier short changing of the scientific method upon which American power and affluence are built. Really. I have no problem with it whatsoever.
OK, it disturbs the heck out of me, but every vote counts, and, to paraphrase a line from an old Steve Martin movie, I’d rather win with the evangelicals than lose with the smartest people in the world.
