Source: The Washington Post

On August 9, 2001, The Washington Post published an editorial about Bush leading his cabinet in prayer before a meeting. "Bush is different only in degree, not in kind" in terms of presidential piety. "It makes me scratch my head whenever anyone mentions how religion has been banished from American life. This lament, so intrinsic if not essential to the conservative moment,...has attained the status of a Big Lie -- an untruth repeated so often that it goes unchallenged...America -- alone among the major Western democracies -- remains an exceedingly churchy country where religion plays a large and unashamedly prominent role." However, "in a sense, both Bush and Ashcroft are setting an implied religious qualification for office -- not a particular religion, mind you, but a requirement that you believe in something...When it comes to religion, [Bush] is a divider not a uniter."