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The truth may be more complicated, particularly about where that moral center derives. In recent years, argues Professor Green, voters have become much more comfortable with the place of religious ideas in the political arena. "We began to see the upsurge of religious rhetoric in the late 1990s," he says. "There was this real sense of moral malaise in the country, among liberals and conservatives alike. They might not be able to agree on the morality, but they all agreed we didn't have enough of it." The Columbine shootings, the impeachment battle, the corporate crookery all piled up and "led many if not most Americans to conclude that the country had lost its moral compass," says Green.
That may explain the response of voters who praise Bush for his strength and leadership, regardless of where he's leading. "I don't agree with him on everything," admits David Cook, 52, a lay leader at the Lawrence Street Primitive Methodist Church in Lowell, Mass., who says Bush's failings matter less than his motives. "He's not the Messiah, but he follows the Messiah." Charly Gullett, who owns a gun shop in Prescott, Ariz., reaches the same conclusion, coming from the opposite direction. "I'm not a believer in God," he says, "but I recognize that faith is a morally guiding force in most people's lives. I believe President Bush has brought honor back to the White House because of his faith. I don't see the religious community being upset with him. I see the nonreligious community being upset with him because they see faith as a threat to liberal thought. There's nothing about Bush's faith that makes me uncomfortable."
Raise the question, and the argument starts. Some see Bush as sincerely guided by principles higher than politics, while others think he's hunting for votes in the pews. Some say they are proud that he is restoring America's moral leadership in the world, while others say they are embarrassed by America's moral arrogance. His talk of love and liberty brings the country together--unless it is pulling it apart. Fully 85% of Bush's supporters say his faith makes him a strong leader, according to TIME's poll; 65% of Kerry's say it makes Bush close-minded. "I respect him for having faith," says Tim Baer, a religious-studies major at the University of Oklahoma who wants to go to a seminary and become an Episcopal priest. "I just disagree with how he uses his faith as a President. It's dividing people."
Bush has said as much himself. "My job is to make sure that, as President, people understand that in this country you can worship any way you choose," he told the religion writers. "And I'll take that a step further. You can be a patriot if you don't believe in the Almighty. You can honor your country and be as patriotic as your neighbor." But Bush also sees a change in how people respond to him since he was last on the campaign trail--although that may say more about the times we are living in than anything he has said or done. When he works the rope line, he says, "the thing they say different now than four years ago is, 'Mr. President, we pray for you.' Maybe every other person says it, or at least every third. And it matters a lot. It has made being the President of the United States a heck of a lot easier to be sustained by the prayers of the people and my own personal prayers."