Strayed from the course

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Much has been said and written about the losses suffered by the Republican Party in both houses of Congress in the recent elections. While some place blame on President Bush's policy of "staying the course" in the war in Iraq, the real reason for the success of the Democratic Party is that many Republicans have "strayed from the course" of conservative Christian leadership exemplified by President Reagan. Mr. Reagan's adherence to conservative principles and moral virtue helped the Republican Party end nearly 40 years of Democratic control of Congress, but those ideals have virtually been abandoned by Republican leadership today.

Wasteful government spending once thought characteristic of Democratic administrations has increased under a Republican-controlled Congress. When Mr. Bush took office, the federal government had a surplus. Our deficit today is nearly $250 billion and the national debt has grown from $5.8 trillion to $8.6 trillion during the same period.

A drastic increase in illegal aliens coming across our borders was carefully ignored during the past six years, despite continued objections by many states and conservative organizations. In March 2005, Mr. Bush met with Mexican President Vicente Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin in Waco, Tex. to form the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. According to a report by the Council of Foreign Relations titled "Building a North American Community," Mr. Bush committed our government to a path of cooperation and joint action. The report recommended that an improvement in security would "allow a more open border for the movement of goods and people." Such agreements with foreign governments — which are made without any congressional oversight — will effectively destroy our borders, not secure them, and at the same time will undermine our republican form of government and reduce the value of our citizenship. A Republican Congress did nothing to check this abuse of power by the president.

But perhaps the greatest divergence from Republican philosophy has been the widespread rejection of moral principles by many Republicans elected to office. Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio resigned for his involvement in the Jack Abramoff scandal, while across the country, California's Rep. Duke Cunningham left office after being convicted for using his office for personal gain. Such graft and corruption in office were followed by revelations of homosexuality, which forced Rep. Mark Foley of Florida to resign, and of adultery, which caused Rep. Don Sherwood of Pennsylvania to lose his bid for re-election.

These instances only exacerbate the open affront to Christian principles that occurred when Mr. Bush appointed Mark Dybul, an admitted homosexual, as U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. That appointment was confirmed by a Republican Senate, which had previously rejected President Clinton's nomination of an avowed homosexual as ambassador to Luxembourg. At Mr. Dybul's swearing-in ceremony, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice introduced his parents and his male "partner," Jason. Miss Rice then referred to Jason's mother as Mr. Dybul's "mother-in-law," showing disdain for traditional marriage and an open acceptance of homosexuality.

The deafening silence of the White House regarding new Navy and Air Force regulations proposing to take away the right of Christian chaplains to pray in the name of Jesus reflect not only a misunderstanding of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, but also a failure to recognize our Godly heritage. Those policies are unfortunately consistent with Mr. Bush's remarks at a Nov. 20, 2003, press conference that Christians and Muslims worship "the same God."

According to James Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, an architect of the 1994 GOP House takeover, complained that the "Religious Right" was "too involved" with the party. But this was the same "Religious Right" that worked hard to get Republicans elected in 2000 and 2004. It appears that many conservative Christians withheld their support during this last election.

This departure from moral principles and conservative government is not restricted to the Republican Party alone. As late as 1949 the Democratic Party embraced the philosophy expressed by President Harry Truman in his Jan. 20, 1949 Inaugural Address: "The American people stand firm in the faith which has inspired this nation from the beginning...We believe that all men are created equal because they were created in the image of God. From this faith we will not be moved."

Since that time the Democratic Party has not only been moved, but has adopted a more liberal social philosophy and a warped morality defined by abortion, homosexuality and what the definition of sex "is."

The sad truth is that both political parties have "strayed from the course" of conservative principles and morality based upon a faith in God. Our peace and happiness, as well as our prosperity, depend not on any political party or any great leader, but rather upon our return as a nation to faith in almighty God.

It is our responsibility to elect principled moral leaders who can say at the end of their term of office, as the Apostle Paul said shortly before his death, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." Like Paul, let us finish the course, not stray from it.

Judge Roy Moore, who served as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, is chairman of the Foundation for Moral Law.