VP Candidates On Church-State Separation

CBS Evening News: Biden And Palin Answer Katie Couric's Vice-Presidential Questions

(CBS)  Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin have put in some very long days reparing for their Thursday night debate. To give voters a better sense of who they these candidate are, and where they stand on a number of issues, CBS News anchor Katie Couric asked Biden and Palin some "Vice Presidential Questions." This installment: "Thomas Jefferson wrote about the First Amendment: 'building a wall of separation between Church and State.' Why do you think that is so important?"

Click here to read more of what the vice-presidential candidates had to say and see our series, "Presidential Questions."

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Katie Couric: Thomas Jefferson wrote about the First Amendment, building a wall of separation between church and state. Why do you think that's so important?

Sarah Palin: His intention in expressing that was so that government did not mandate a religion on people. And Thomas Jefferson also said never underestimate the wisdom of the people. And the wisdom of the people, I think in this issue is that people have the right and the ability and the desire to express their own religious views, be it a very personal level, which is why I choose to express my faith, or in a more public forum.

And the wisdom of the people, thankfully, engrained in the foundation of our country, is so extremely important. And Thomas Jefferson wanted to protect that.

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Watch the candidates discuss their views on Roe v. Wade

Read the transcript of the candidates' interviews on Roe v. Wade

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Biden: The best way to look at it is look the every state where the wall's not built. Look at every country in the world where religion is able to impact ... the governance. Almost every one of those countries are in real turmoil.

Look, the founders were pretty smart. They had gone through, you know, several hundred years of wars - religious wars. And they were in the midst of religious wars in Europe. And they figured it out: The best way to do this is to keep the government out of religion. They took religion out of government. But they didn't mean religion couldn't be in a public place, in the public square.

[willcaine]

There were no religious wars in Europe when the Constitution was written. The religious wars occurred during the 16th and 17th centuries. Palin''s ideas about history are as foggy as her other notions.

[Onar]

I think it would be hard to find a shallower person the Palin. Her answers are just to retarded and generalizing that it looks like she''s never been thinking about anything (except for important national issues such as moosehunting and shooting wolfes from helicopters of course. Who cares about the economy anyway...).

[vmcgriff]

wisdom = church vs.state ???
Can someone explain this to me because I am not sure I understand?

[egr287]

Could Palin not think of a single supreme court decision off the top of her head? That''s really genius

[expert47]

Ok, religiously, GOD HELP US. Sarah Palin, before, it was just sad. Now, you''re proving why you needed 5 years to get a college degree at 6 different schools.. You are truly dumber than a bag of rocks.

She had absolutely no concept of Separation of Church and State. Of course, Joe Biden was 100% on this.

Sarah, go back to Alaska, although you won''t find a warm reception.

Dumb and Dumber, the newest comedy team of McOld/Sarah Fluffhead

Amazing. Absolutely Amazing. Even the Repugnicans can''t whine about her being abused by that mean Katie Couric. The stuff she''s asking is high school stuff.

In another question, she couldn''t even explain Roe v. Wade, perhaps the most discussed and dissected Supreme Court ruling in history.

God Sarah, you should be ashamed.

[cchippa1]

I keep wondering how she was elected gov. Separation of church and state is basic history. When she was first rolled out to the public, i wondered what she had to offer. Thanks Katie.

[dand222]

My Lord! She has got to be kidding! It would be downright funny if the stakes weren''t so high. She reminds me of when I was called upon in class and didn''t know the answer:just blabber away and hope something good comes out.
I bet if asked she could not name one of those countries that were in turmoil or one of those alleged religious wars that were going on during the time of our founding fathers!

[obbcbs]

Palin''s job is to impersonate Joe Six Pack. He cant remember any Supreme court decisions either. And he doesnt understand what separation of church and state is about, either.

I get the feeling when she is talking, that she is so freaked out, she just pours words out, and hopes that it will make some sense if she at least refers to the general topic.
I dont want her near a real decision impacting our national defense.

Of course, if the Russians do attack, our generals will call NORAD and the White House, not Palin.

[benighse]

Did you see the interview of McCain holding Palin''s hand with Katie Couric, with McCain acting like MR. GRUMPY as he interrupted questions to Palin just like he knew she was about to goof it up again....then he goofed it up on his own....what great irritable bowel syndrome answers John....YOUR CRASS JUDGMENT SHOWS YOU TO BE A MEAN TESTY NEGATIVE OL'' COOT....You have simply lost your marbles and should go home....It''s time to put McCain in the Manorhouse, not the Whitehouse!!!

[benighse]

WHY IS SARAH ONLY TALKING TO KATIE COURIC on CBS??????....No Newsweek, no Time, no ABC, no NBC, no MSNBC, no O''Reilly, no Sports Illustrated, no Modern Maternity, no Washington Post, no Bible Times even, no New York Times, no Fish and Game, no Kansas City News, no Barron''s, no Wall Street Journal, no Chicago Sun, no Field and Stream, no Hunting News, not even each or any of the local papers of the towns and cities she has visited and given the same speech in....only Katie Couric....and mostly softball questions that draw goofball answers....WHY????

....Now we know why McCain wants to HIDE her from even the Wasilla News and the Anchorage newspapers, let alone someone new other then who she has always talked to before...

Palin is the new Republican SCUD Missile....You just never know where she will blow up with her silly comments on TV and Radio. Every time I hear her words, I''m hoping it''s actually Tina Fey so we can say it really is a comedy routine, instead of her world view.

CAN WE PLEASE ELECT OBAMA and BIDEN in ''08! Let''s get to work and make this happen.

[obbcbs]

Palin''s job is to score with the white fundamentalists and bring up the percenage in favor of her and John from its current 74% to 78%.
If she does that, she earned her VP slot.

She is not going to impress thinking viewers, not even conservatives.

She is just there to tease the fundamentalists that she is going to appoint some fundamentalist judges, which she would.

[obbcbs]

correcting typo. *need to turn on the lights. winter is a comin in.
Palin''''s job is to score with the white fundamentalists and bring up the percenTage in favor of her and John McCain from their current 74% to 78%.
If she does that, she earned her VP slot.

She is not going to impress thinking viewers, not even conservatives.

She is just there to tease the fundamentalists that she is going to appoint some fundamentalist judges, which she would.

[kittykatty2]

obbcbs...i''m not sure NORAD will be available to help...they''ll be cruising round Alaska waiting for Putin to enter the airspace.

[cchippa1]

Is this an example of "gotcha jounilism" ? Get ready katie for the accusations. Why is it that tis ticket blames the media for their answers? With these answers, tina fay has more skits for her sarah palin immitations!!

[benighse]

You saw that grumpy 73 year ol'' coot, McCain, take Palin by the hand to the woodshed like a little puppy with Katie Couric.--John was like the mad big brother there to protect poor Sarah from the big bad media girl Couric.... JOHN, YOU ARE SO SILLY, SILLY, SILLY.

And now Sarah even says BIDEN is old at 65, so what does she call 73 year old McCain in private??? My dinosaur man from ancient times??? Again, Now Sarah is becoming SILLY, SILLY, SILLY TOO.

....AND Now we also hear the rumors that he has advised Palin exactly how to answer all questions at the VP Debate on Thursday, and it appears she has already pre-taped her in-depth answers for the Thursday VP Debate:....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYgOlqinH7A&feature=related

....Check it out!

I told the witch doctor
I was in love with you
And then the witch doctor
He told me what to do
He said that

Ooo eee,ooo ah ah ting tang
Walla walla, bing bang
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang
Walla walla bing bang...
Ooo eee ,ooo ah ah ting tang
Walla walla ,bing bang
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang
Walla walla bing bang

NOW WILL SOMEONE POST SARAH''S ANSWER FROM THE 1984 ALASKA BEAUTY CONTEST ABOUT WORLD PEACE!!

[jbennish1]

Katie Couric has really stepped up to the plate on her recent interviews she has done. I think this is the Katie Couric we have all been wanting to see since she came to the CBS Evening News. You go girl - keep it up and you will see the ratings soar!!!

[southernxyl]

"There were no religious wars in Europe when the Constitution was written. The religious wars occurred during the 16th and 17th centuries. Palin''s ideas about history are as foggy as her other notions."

Er, it wasn''t Palin who talked about religious wars, it was Biden.

Good try, though.

[lprince6]

It seems she is grasping so hard to remember her history lesson that she cannot answer the question in a real manner with a real opinion.

[dougal-dog]

I am not a fan of Sarah Palin at all, and I''m terrified by the idea that so many people still seem willing to vote for the McCain-Palin ticket after seeing such an obvious example of McCain''s lack of judgment.

But, in this case, Palin has the correct interpretation of the separation of church and state. I''m an American historian, so I''m sure about this one. The founding fathers intended to protect religious freedom (for Christians anyway) from the state -- they weren''t particularly looking to protect the state from religion. They did not want to see one denomination become the official state religion to the exclusion of all others.

But it''s no surprise the Palin should know about this when she seems to be clueless about so much else. She cares about this issue. She has probably read about this issue, because she''s interested in it. She fails miserably on discussions of foreign relations and the economy and the names of newspapers because she has never been interested in them. Which is probably just fine for the mayor of a small town or even the governor of a low-population state, but not a vice-presidential candidate. I don''t actually believe she''s a total idiot. I just think she is WAY over her head and too wrapped up in the ego-stroking she''s getting from her handlers and the far right to recognize her limitations.

I guess I''m one of the liberal elite who actually wants someone with intellectual curiosity at the head of our government.

It is funny to think that dougal-dol considers himself an American Historian, though the quote referenced is "Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State." from Thomas Jefferson''s letter in 1802 - which actually says BOTH protection of the free excercise of religion AND no laws that are maade from an establishment of religion. It''s important to note BOTH not just the one that applies to your argument the most.

[dougal-dog]

Angiebees:
Constitutional history is definitely not my specialty, so I''m certainly open to the possibility of someone with more expertise proving me wrong on this one. But I think you''ve misinterpreted the quotation, as is evidenced from your rewording of the relevant section. The quotation you provided says "make no law respecting an establishment of religion" but using your own words you say that "no laws that are maade from an establishment of religion". I believe that Jefferson''s actual words mean "do not make a law establishing an official state religion," whereas I would interpret your different wording as "no laws should be established due to religion," ie, religion shouldn''t be a factor in making laws. Personally, I would agree that religion should not be a factor in making laws, but I don''t believe that is what Jefferson or the other founding fathers meant.

By the way, my apologies for continuing to hit the publish button when it kept telling me the the ability to publish had been turned off for a while. I didn''t realize it would wind up posting so many times!

[richr46]

Not everyone is Einstein, and there''s no shame if you''re stupid. But, if you are stupid, you have no business running for VP. Palin is an imbecile. The thought of her as President of this great country is both absolutely terrifying. Shame on Sen McCain and the Republicans for insluting our intelligence by citing bogus examples of Palin''s experience. If speaking with people in a supermarket counts as experience, then 300 million American are qualified to be President. The voters must repudiate emphatically, this disgraceful candidate and the cynical rhetoric that accompanies her everywhere. Country First? Not exactly. Plain and simple: McCain First.

[dougal-dog]

Oops, in discussing the relevant section of the quotation from the Jefferson letter, I made it sound as if those were Jefferson''s words, when in fact Jefferson was quoting the first amendment. But I''ll shut up now. I can''t imagine anyone wants to read even more about the finer points of the first amendment!

[strandc]

Speaking of church...

There was a LEAD STORY buried in Palin''s response to Katie''s question about that Wasilla church''s quest to cure homosexuality.

Are the traditional Republicans aware that Sarah Palin is not even a church member? She says she "gets to visit" a couple of churches when she''s home, but she is not a member of a church.

What kind of good Christian does not even join a congregation?

She goes on to say that she wishes she had the "time and consistency to be a more regular attendee of church, but no, have not."

No time to regularly attend church? Not a priority apparently. Sarah Palin has 5 children and those kids have not been raised in a church atmosphere? Hmmm.

Do her adoring fans know this about her??

See the quotes below.

Couric: Your church sponsored a conference that claimed to be able to convert *** into heterosexuals through prayer. Do you think that *** can be converted, governor?

Palin: Well, you''re absolutely wrong, again, on the facts. My church, I DON''T HAVE A CHURCH, I''M NOT A MEMBER OF ANY CHURCH. I get to visit a couple of churches in Alaska when I''m home, including one, Wasilla Bible Church, and that''s the one that you''re talking about.

...

Palin: I wish I had time and the consistency to be a more regular attendee of a church but, no, have not.

WOW!! I was surprised by that one! Any one else?

[drnoitall]

I think satan has brought us Palin.

Satan has decided that rapists should be rewarded with children... they whole spreading of demon seed and all.

Satan loves the idea of women being *** objects, so Palin was coated in pretty sprinkles to seduce the men of America, Pakastan, and all other nations.

Satan sent Palin to spread the seeds of weak willed men like Todd Palin who drove drunk, attended fringe revolutionary meetings, and poluted the earth with skido riding.

Satan sent Palin to condemn us all to a long protracted war killing hundreds of thousands of young boys, Iraqi families and innocents.

And Satan sent Palin to keep us blinded by the fear of God, so that when we are need to escape we do it secretly, in shame, in the dark resulting in even more sins.

Satan''s little cheerleader is Sarah Palin.

Ms Couric is AMAZING!!

[kansas1946]

Sarah Palin: His intention in expressing that was so that government did not mandate a religion on people. And Thomas Jefferson also said never underestimate the wisdom of the people. And the wisdom of the people, I think in this issue is that people have the right and the ability and the desire to express their own religious views, be it a very personal level, which is why I choose to express my faith, or in a more public forum.

And the wisdom of the people, thankfully, engrained in the foundation of our country, is so extremely important. And Thomas Jefferson wanted to protect that.

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OK, kids. Enough is enough. Sarah is a cute, bouncy, energetic, fun, ambitious, woman, with certain charms, but she is in no way prepared to take over the reins of this country. The very idea is terrifying. Her explanation above of the separation clause is what I would expect of an earnest, thoughtful, seventh grader that had just studied the consitution, and was putting it in their own words. I bear her no ill-will. She is probably a great governor of a state like Alaska, but this is serious folks. John McCain should be horse-whipped for subjecting this sweet woman to this kind of scrutiny and criticism. It has got to be embarassing for her and I am embarassed for her.

[michaelby2]

I think Dougal-dog is wrong on the history, but right about Palin.

Palin said that ''government did not mandate a religion on people''. Separation of Church and State goes far beyond that. It means primarily, and especially in regards to Jeffersonian opinion, that the Church should be involved in Government and politics. Jefferson defeated the Federalists in 1800.
The Federalists wanted to and had injected ''God in Government'',which Jefferson strongly opposed; hence the emphasis of religion on politics was more to his individual intent than the the other way around. The Gazette of the United States put this controversy in its starkest form: "God%u2014And a Religious President; Or Jefferson%u2014And No God!!!"

She called herself ''federalist'' in the same breath as indicating that her opposition to Roe v. Wade was based on some vague claim of ''states rights''; while also claiming to support the ''right to privacy'' which is the cornerstone principle of Roe. Clearly Federalists had little interest in state''s rights, and would not promote a position of leaving (or moving) decisions to the individual states, as Palin suggests. It''s absurd for someone to say they are ''federalist'' and then attempt to quote the antithesis, Jefferson. Speaking of which, I cannot find anywhere where he is quoted as saying ''never underestimate the wisdom of the people'' even parentheticaly. Perhaps some Jeffersonian scholar can; certainly Palin isn''t one of those.

[coach_j1955]

After reading some of the post here, it is no surprise that Couric and her few fans will go away together by years end.
The ratings of this show are so dismal and falling fast.
When the more that obvious bias against women, Christians, and conservatives flashes before our eyes.
We are left with only one choice, turn the channel.
And it appears more and more Americans are doing that, good bye Katie, don''t let the perky hit you on the way out.
Maybe you should join the other bigots on the View, there will probably be some openings when Mac and the barracuda win.
I can imagine Joy and Whoopi holding hands as they leap to their demise on Nov 5th.

[coach_j1955]

Oh, on abortion.

Aren''t half of the aborted children female?

What about their right to choose??????

[coach_j1955]

Nice try on the right to privacy, when reasoning to kill. Another far left fairy tale.
Funny how waterboarding is so horrendous (nobody dies), but abortion is admired.

How sick are we for allowing it?

[dburfears]

Anyone notice that Palin NEVER gives a straight answer on GOVERNMENT POLICY she would push? She NEVER tells you what she would do. Instead she always says what she "PERSONALLY believes". This is great strategy. No one can criticize your "personal beliefs", because they are ppersonal. However, what she really means is that she will push her personal beliefs onto America.

Give us some "STRAIGHT TALK" Sarah- start admitting that these are your POLICY POSITIONS, and that you want to force AMERICA to follow your radical right agenda.

[feedthakidz]

I didn''t see that part of the interview, but I have heard good-ole Sarah say that she is not a regular church-goer. Hmm, that''s the cornerstone of the modern republican party. And McCain''s not exactly a devout Christian either. Maybe they really ARE two "mavericks." BTW, if I hear John McCain say the words "maverick," "Viet-Nam," or "prison," again, I might vomit.

[sueinasia]

OMG...i have to say i reread numerous times Sarah Palin''s answer and i have NO idea what she''s trying to say.

I want to like her...i really do. But the answers she gave, together with that shaky nervous look she has on during the interview - i can tell she''s not ready.

Joe Biden ANSWERED the question and without looking at the script, i was able to understand what he meant perfectly.

Obama/Biden 08

[elz523]

Sarah Palin needs a translator. They do speak English and in complete logical sentences in Alaska... don''t they?

[nodevils2]

Christian, right wing hypocrites! According to the HOLY BIBLE, in all "Christian" denominations, no one can divorce their partner except for adultery! Hence, John McCain, who divorced his first wife (mother of 3 of McCains children) because she became injured in a car wreck even though she loyally and faithfully waited for him, is living in sin with current wife Cindi...according to any and all Christian bibles. Yet, that is a sin that is overlooked by the Christian evangelicals and considered to be John McCain''s choice, with the sin being only on McCain and not on the nation. According to the HOLY BIBLE, Sarah Palin''s daughter is a sinful ***, evidence of being raised by "unfit" parents. Yet, as with McCain''s sin, Bristol Palin''s sin is overlooked as Bristol''s individual choice, with the sin being only on Bristol and not on the nation. So, why is it that, if it is indeed a sin, abortion is not viewed as a choice of the woman, with the sin being on the individual woman....and not on the nation no more than McCain''s sin or Bristol''s sin. Why do so-called Christian''s "pick and choose" which sins are allowable for choice; yet, conclude that the sin of abortion is greater than murder in Iraq, the destruction of marriage, and underage pregnancy...as espoused by the McCain-Palin ticket????

[nodevils2]

Adultery is one of the 10 commandments just like murder! Show me any place in the bible where they are weighted any differently from the other 8 commandments!

[nodevils2]

If republicans had their way, we would be required by law to follow all of the 10 commandments! Poor McCain wouldn''t have been able to exercise CHOICE to ditch his first wife, Carol, for non-adulterous reasons. Sarah Failing''s daughter and her under age lover would be jailed with a scarlet letter on her forehead!

[nodevils2]

It''s really about a difference in philosophy. The republicans have it backwards! They insist on de-regulating business while regulating individual%u2019s bedrooms, women%u2019s uterus%u2019s, as well as all civil liberties. On the other hand, democrats regulate business (so that we don%u2019t have to bail out AIG%u2019s at taxpayer expense%u2026don%u2019t have ENRON%u2019s) while protecting individual civil liberties! Democrats are for CHOICE in all matters; whereas, republicans are for more torture - Abu Ghraib - Guantanamo - killing - Lying - slander - Denial lack of accountability - SPIN baby SPIN! McCain/Failing for more pork barrel pigs in lipstick!

[mrs_r]

Typical Palin. She has no idea, and so she gives whatever BS answer she can think of (which in this case is of course wrong) and then goes on to attempt to schmooze people. As though flattery will buy her the VPOTUS. Unfortunately for her, my vote comes at a much higher price than a stroke to my ego.

[bracemic]

When it comes to sin and choice, all sins are equally wrong. Therefore, we all deserve to die, because that''s the penalty for sin according to the Bible. People seem to be forgetting that the Bible teaches the new law of grace through faith. In other words, God is willing to be merciful to us because of faith, even though we all deserve death by the Old Testament law. As far as abortion is concerned, all the fuss is about protecting the rights of a child that cannot yet speak for itself. The parent might be excercising a choice that is personal. However, the choice affects two people. One of them is being completely ignored in the "pro-choice" argument. Also, how is Bristol Palin''s choice a sin against America? Unless you relish in gossip, it should be practically irrelevant. A parent cannot control a 17 year old, try as they might.

[mrs_r]

No, Hwy71So, she did NOT get it right. And mentioning Biden''s answer does not validate hers or excuse her response in any way.

The intention was not "so that the government did not mandate a religion on people". The intention was as it was stated, to separate church and state, religion and government. The founding fathers believed that religion was a societal issue, not a governmental issue. That those considerations and beliefs of religion had no place in government and the considerations and aspects of government had no place in religion. Goverment was to have no authority whatsoever in regard to religion (this does not mean telling people what religion to practice), and vice versa. Please, do YOUR research.

We deserve much better than an elementary-school-level answer from Palin.

[sawfingers]

Well, I can see there is just a hysterical response to SP''s answer as opposed to JB''s. SP actually gave the text book and correct definition. The concept is both a political and legal doctrine traced back to Thomas Jefferson as SP stated correctly. It''s really a simple concept: Government is secular which extends freedom of religious exercise. THomas Jefferson used the phrase "wall of separation".

[sawfingers]

Hwy71So - I agree with you. It''s not like real news as in the days of Walter Conkrite. CBS wants to influence the public for the liberal cause. They have no crediblity anytime they express an opinion on JM/JP.

[pastdue1]

Jefferson was not overly religious, nor was Benjamin Franklin, neither was as religious as John Adams and Adams was definite on his views to keep religon out of government. Biden had it right and so did Palin ~ the Constitution gives you the right to express your religious opinions ~ you simply do not have the right to force your beliefs onto the entire populace through the government.
Biden knows the Constitution ~ he teaches Constitutional Law. Palin knows what the Bush advisors tell her to say ~ and that is the difference.

We twice elected a man who stunned us with his hominess and his glittering generalities ~ one who could "connect with the people". Do we really want another person in the executive branch who knows nothing about the Constitution We see how much erosion of our freedooms comes about when we elect someone who thinks the Constitution is just a #@$%# piece of paper. We see what happens to our economy when we elect someone who believes that the #$%$# piece of paper does not apply to the executive branch and , in fact, cannot even decide which branch of government they belong to. We see what happens to our world standing when we elect someone who believes that the @#$% piece of paper gives him the right to embroil us in a costly deadly oil war for the gain of a few. And, guess what? Bush had more going for him than Palin does.

[cbs_tom]

"That those considerations and beliefs of religion had no place in government and the considerations and aspects of government had no place in religion".
Posted by Mrs_R at 08:41 AM : Oct 02, 2008
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness".
US DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

[pastdue1]

Posted by StormyTexan at 09:35 AM : Oct 02, 2008

You know you are being facetious. You know that he is simply telling you that the framers of the Constitution knew history, they were educated enough to know what religion , as a governmental force, could do.
In early America, look at what happened in Salem, the framers knew this.
Look at Afghanistan, we see the results of religion being an overriding force.
We both know that Biden was not saying that the framers had lived through the Crusades, Inquisition, etc.

[rinnie5]

Like I said, if Joe doesn''''t know the answer, he just makes one up!

At least Biden can think on his feet. Unlike staring cross eyed into the camera with no answer or saying, "I''ll have to look it up and get back to ya". LOL

[im4honesty]

It is amusing that Palin''s handlers started two days ago harping about the moderator of the debate. They think they have found an avenue to follow after she makes a total and complete azz of herself on national television. "The moderator was unfair... boo-hoo... the lefties framed her." LMAO!!!!

[pastdue1]

Posted by StormyTexan at 10:07 AM : Oct 02, 2008

I apologize for my lateness in answering. I had intended to research your question, but something came up so I will just have to say I do not know the complete answer to your question,. However, the Church of England took years to overcome the influence of Catholicism and never did totally, but, the history of how and why the Church of England came about is a bit fascinating. even if it has no relevance to this election. But, like I said I cannot answer your question .
On a different note, Many of us like interacting with you when you are civilly discussing topics that are real and relevant to the situation in our country today.