That was then, this was now

John Edwards appealing to white evangelicals in West Virginia:

John Edwards says voters should know that religion is important to him and to presidential candidate John Kerry but the issue shouldn't be used to divide people in the election.

"My faith is very important to me, and the same is true of John Kerry," the Democratic vice presidential candidate and son of a deacon said in a brief interview with The Associated Press after a campaign stop in West Virginia.

"The two of us talk about our faith — with each other," he said Wednesday. "Our faith is important to us and it's always been important to us, and people should know that."

Edwards, a Methodist, said most Americans want a good leader — a man who is a good husband and a good father — "and if they're a person of faith, that helps."

"I don't think that faith should be used to divide us," he said.

As both parties battle for votes, their candidates are making multiple stops in West Virginia, a Bible Belt state with five electoral votes.

President Bush (news - web sites), who has visited West Virginia nine times since April, has found staunch support among conservative Christians. At rallies across the state, dozens have cited his faith in God as the main reason for their support — more important than jobs, the economy and the war in Iraq.

John Edwards last Sunday speaking to an African American congregation in Detroit:

Edwards: Attack ad is 'immoral"

DETROIT — Blasting the “immoral forces” working to re-elect President George W. Bush, Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards called on churchgoers to rise up against a batch of increasingly venomous attack ads.

Addressing a congregation of about 200 at the New St. Paul Tabernacle Church of God in Christ on Sunday, the North Carolina senator lashed an ad now running in Iowa and Wisconsin that shows images of September 11 hijacker Mohammed Atta, Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein before fading to a photo of John Kerry. “Would you trust Kerry against the fanatic killers?” the ad asks.

“They’re trying to exploit one of our nation’s greatest tragedies for personal gain,” Edwards said. “It is immoral. This is not a political issue. We’re all going to do whatever it takes to keep this country safe.”

The ad is by Progress for America Voter Fund, an affiliate of a group created by longtime Republican consultant and former Bush aide Tony Feather.

Michigan Republican Party spokesman Chris Paolino called Edwards’ comments “hypocritical.” The Democrats “... have associated themselves with groups that compare President Bush to Adolf Hitler and that’s inappropriate.

“... This election and our country is very much affected by what happened September 11 (and) it’s an issue that should be talked about,” Paolino said.

The Kerry-Edwards campaign responded quickly to the ad with a response ad — titled “Despicable.” It quotes a New York Times editorial condemning GOP tactics insinuating that a vote for Kerry is a vote for the terrorists. The Kerry-Edwards ad calls the tactic “an un-American way to campaign.”

Congregation member Forlendi Quarles, 44, of Detroit laughed at the thought of connecting Kerry to terrorism. “That’s like saying if you vote for Bush, you’re voting for organized crime,” Quarles said. “It’s ridiculous.”

Edwards sought to use the ad as a means to rally the Democratic faithful in Detroit. “They’re trying to divide us on an issue that is very important,” Edwards said. “It’s important to stand up and speak out against the immoral forces out there.”

Okay, so let me see if I have this straight: religion shouldn't be used to turn out the base when it's the other guys base that's being turned out. When it is your base, it's okey-dokey, because Bushitler is the anti-Christ.