Bush praises faith groups for tsunami aid, pushes conservative agenda

Kevin Lamarque

U.S. President George W. Bush bows his head in prayer at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Feb. 3. During his address at the breakfast, Bush reiterated his support for a constitutional amendment protecting traditional marriage.

WASHINGTON - President Bush praised the role of faith in the country Feb. 3, singling out faith-based groups for their response to the devastating tsunamis in South Asia.

Bush, speaking at the 53rd annual National Prayer Breakfast, praised churches, mosques and synagogues for delivering relief to victims of the Dec. 26 disaster.

"People of faith have no corner on compassion," Bush said. "But people of faith need compassion if they are to be true to their ... beliefs."

Conservative concerns

Bush's brief remarks to the thousands of assembled clergy, lawmakers and diplomats came just 10 hours after his fifth State of the Union address, in which the president backed a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and vowed to help build "a culture of life" against abortion and embryonic stem-cell research.

"Today, millions of people across this Earth get the help they need only because our faith-based institutions live the commandment to 'love thy neighbor as thyself,'" Bush said at the breakfast.

The annual invitation-only prayer breakfast featured prayers from the Christian and Jewish traditions. Bush's Democratic challenger in last year's election, Sen. John Kerry, was among the attendees.

Tony Hall, the U.S. ambassador to United Nations food and hunger agencies in Rome, told the audience he became a Christian 26 years ago after attending a prayer breakfast as a member of Congress.

"What's interesting is that I had to come to the Congress of the United States to find God," Hall said. "I know that sounds strange."

Addressing issues

In his state of the Union address, Bush came out strongly against "activist judges" who would allow gay marriage, and signaled that he will continue to limit the use of federal funds for controversial embryonic stem-cell research.

"I will work with Congress to ensure that human embryos are not created for experimentation or grown for body parts, and that human life is never bought and sold as a commodity," he said.

Bush's nod to his evangelical base won wide praise from conservative activists, who have been concerned that Bush may not use his bully pulpit to advance their agenda in his second term.

"We have at times wished that he would have said more during the campaign," said Tom Minnery, vice president for government and public policy at Focus on the Family. "We do not wish that any longer, because he has boldly asserted his support for the marriage amendment."