There are countless examples to prove this point. My latest favorite: In his inaugural address, George Washington declared that there is an "Invisible Hand" that "conducts the affairs of men" and that we must therefore offer prayers to "that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the counsils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect."

Not only was this “delivered” by George Washington, it was written by James Madison, champion of separation of church and state.

The more important question about Bush is not the role of religion in his speeches but the role of religion in his head. Did “blind faith” lead him to make blind judgments about policy? Did his religious constitution make him too stubborn or, did it make him too idealistic, leading to a foreign policy based on lofty principles rather than reality? The answers to these questions would help powerfully illuminate the nature of Bush’s leadership – and therein lies part of the case for why candidates should talk about their spiritual lives.

A President’s sense of why things happen in the world may be influenced by many different factors – a sense of history, a sense of demographics, a sense of faith. We need to know how faith affects his thought process. Bush’s presidency certainly proves that.

To put religious beliefs off the table means putting a big potential part of a candidate’s personality and character off the table. In 2004, John Kerry claimed that he was very religious and that morality guided his decision-making but that faith didn’t. This was an odd comment. He was essentially saying that only non-faith-based calculations were appropriate. So it’s permissible to oppose torture because it’s counter-productive but not permissible to oppose it because God commands us to treat each person as if they are a child of God?

By exploring a politician’s faith you can tell their authenticity and fearlessness. Howard Dean’s attempts to seem religious (which backfired when he misquoted the Bible) were illustrative not because it showed him to be irreligious but because it showed him to be fake and posturing. By contrast, discussions of faith by Bush, Wesley Clark and others on Beliefnet have revealed a more plausible spiritual journey.