Home > Newsletter > January 2002

THE PRESIDENT AND I

President Bush and William J. Murray

I am a big fan of the way in which President George W. Bush has prosecuted the war on terrorism since the Islamic Jihad attack against the United States on September 11th. Our Washington, DC office has worked to help the President get legislation through Congress to assist him in that war. Indeed I have backed the military tribunals the President has set up to try foreign terrorists. I do not believe that any Islamic terrorist should be tried in an American criminal court with the government paying millions of dollars to lawyers such as Johnny Cochran to defend them.

I also backed the stimulus package President Bush attempted to pass through Congress to get the American economy rolling again after the 9-11 Jihad attacks. Senator Dashle, who is planning to run for President in 2004, did not allow a vote on the stimulus legislation even though a majority of Senators, both Republican and Democrat, favored it. Senator Daschle does not want an economic recovery. He believes that leaving the nation in recession will help the Democrats capture the House in November, giving him a shot at the White House in 2004.

Actually there is virtually nothing that I disagree with President Bush on. However, I am involved in a great contest of wills with some of his political advisors.

First I must explain that the White House has both executive and political offices. The executive side runs the government and the political side works to make sure the President is reelected and that Republicans control Congress. Unlike the Congress, the White House can employ those working the political side. There is actually a "Political Affairs Office" at the White House.

William J. Murray with Karl Rove. Rove is a special assistant to the President and his close personal friend.

The political and the executve offices of the White House are divided between two camps when it comes to Islam and Israel. One camp believes that American Muslims were responsible for the election of George W. Bush last November and will go to any extent required to keep American Muslims in the President's corner for the next election. It is this camp of advisors in the White House who arranged an all male Ramadan dinner for the President to attend, a dinner at which the First Lady was excluded. This group of advisors has brought individuals into the White House and into the Oval Office to meet the President who have in the past called for a Jihad against America and who have supported terrorists groups such as HAMAS.

This pro-Muslim camp in the White House truly believes there are 6,000,000 to 7,000,000 Muslims in the United States, about as many as there are Jews. They have received those figures from Muslim leaders and from libertarian activist Grover Norquist. Norquist is the cofounder of the Islamic Institute. His companies have received funding directly from Islamic organizations. He has stated more than once in public that the only reason George Bush is the President of the United States is because of the Muslim vote in the year 2000.

The second camp of political advisors in the White House is pro-Israel. They believe that both Biblically and historically America must stand with that nation and cannot forsake it in order to court Muslim votes. In addition this second group has a reliable count that there are only about 1,100,000 Muslims in America, about one sixth of that claimed by Muslims leaders. They say that it was Arab-American Christians who helped elect President Bush, not the Muslims. This group believes that through the War on Terrorism the traditional Democratic vote of Jewish Americans can be moved to the Republican party.

The pro-Israel faction points out that the Luntz Research Companies December 3, 2001 poll shows that 42% of Jews would vote for Bush if the election were held today versus the 23% who voted for Bush in 2000. Only 39% say they would vote for Gore if the election were held today. Some 48% of Jews say they will consider voting for Bush in 2004 verus 38% who say they will not consider voting for Bush. Indeed 50% of Jewish voters say that "Terrorism/Security/Safety" is the most important issue facing America.

Of the pro-Islam and pro-Israel camps in the White House who is winning? Early on, the pro-Islam camp was way out ahead because they simply lied to President Bush about the number of Muslims in the United States and their political strength. The President and his staff made so many comments about Islam being a "religion of peace" that conservatives nationwide bought into it. Here are the startling numbers:

Prior to 9-11 only 35% of conservative Republicans thought positively of Islam. As of December 6th, 2001 an amazing 64% had a favorable opinion of Islam. Liberal Democrats had a favorable rating for Muslims of 56% before 9-11. As of December 6th these Democrats have a 68% favorable view of Muslims. In addition, most Americans believe the Jihad attack on the United States was motivated by politics (49%); only 30% can see a religious motivation. The poll was done by the Pew Research Center.

Using the inflated numbers given them by Grover Norquist and other pro-Islamic conservatives the pro-Muslim camp in the White House early on convinced the President to call for a Palestinian State. The existence of such a state would of course eventually lead to a new territorial war in Israel since Muslims would not honor any border. They view all of Israel as part of their territory.

The almost daily suicide bombing attacks in Israel against women and children during Ramadan at the end of 2001 moved President Bush back toward the pro-Israel group. In addition, the political numbers given to the President just did not work and in my opinion he started to become aware of the fact that he was being lied to.

Meanwhile the two factions inside the White House continue to fight it out, but most of the battle goes on in newspapers and in newsletters such as mine. I was informed of the all-male Ramadan dinner and prayers at the White House before it appeared on the President's schedule for him to see. Immediately I began to work against Muslim leaders being allowed to touch their foreheads to the floor of the White House as a means of claiming the Executive Mansion for Islam. I lost that battle.

Republican Jewish leaders released the Luntz report and other polls to show that the pro-Islam faction in the White House did not have their facts straight.

Where are we today? Politically in the White House the situation is about where it was prior to 9-11. The President has restated his support of Israel and has added HAMAS and Hezbolla to the list of terrorist organizations and ordered their assets frozen. This was a huge victory for the pro-Israeli side. After 9-11 the pro-Muslim group in the White House had convinced the President to allow HAMAS and Hezbolla to continue operating in the United States despite their record of murdering hundreds of innocent civilians not only in Israel but in other nations as well. These groups even bombed a Jewish Center in Argentina, killing hundreds of women and children.

Why do I side with the pro-Israeli camp inside the White House? My reasons are primarily Biblical. I believe the Bible to be the Word of God just as it says it is. The Bible states specifically that the Jews are His chosen people and that those who curse Israel will be cursed by God. (Gen 12:3).

I also have social and political reasons to side with the pro-Israel group. I do not want my daughters and granddaughters to be slaves in an Islamic world. I do not want to see the end of democracy in the West. Let's face some facts ... there is not a single Islamic nation that has a true democracy. There is not a single Islamic state where there is true religious freedom or even freedom of speech or press. On the other hand Israel is a western style democracy. We are the greatest democracy in the world, a free republic. The United States should not side with those who would destroy human rights and who seek to destroy a western democracy such as Israel.

I continue to have good relationships within the White House, but obviously not with everyone. The White House is not the only place where conservatives are split into pro-Muslim and pro-Israel groups. The entire Republican Party and conservative movement is split as well. Conservative Leaders such as Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Foudation, Ken Connor of the Family Research Council and many others are decidedly pro Israel.

But many conservative business leaders inside the Republican Party are very pro-Muslim. These business groups see Israel as standing in the way of their making money in oil rich Muslim nations. Many in the big business lobby would simply sell off Israel to make big bucks. Indeed, there are those in the conservative movement in Washington who do not believe murdering and enslaving Christians in the Sudan is an issue either. Neither do they care about the thousands of Christians slaughtered in Muslim Indonesia this past Christmas. What they care about is the oil in the Sudan and Indonesia. The rights of human beings mean little to these libertarian Republicans.

I will not walk away from this battle that is going on inside the conservative movement and inside the White House itself. There must be those of us, at the risk of our lives, who take a stand for freedom, justice and the cause of Christ. Not only can we win this battle for the soul of the conservative movement, we must win for the sake of generations to come.