As I’ve been thinking about the prosecutor purge, something I read ... somewhere ... rattled around in the back of my mind. I woke up this morning wondering if I'd be able to find it again.
I recalled reading that Monica Goodling has a law degree from Regent University (founded by Pat Robertson) and that many new BushCo hires—did I actually read it was hundreds of them?—are graduates of this school.
Turns out that I’d read this on Hullabaloo and when I checked Digby’s site this morning, there was a post, top of the page, with further information.
Over 150 graduates of Regent University have been hired by the Bush administration.
This stunning fact helps clarify the larger context in which the prosecutor purge took place. While not illegal, the funneling of hundreds of Regent graduates into administration jobs is obviously calculated and systematic, not to mention deeply creepy.
Apparently this stunning trend stuck with Digby too, and I’m so glad she’s digging further into it. She quotes an article by Gary Wills:
The head of the White House Office of Personnel was Kay Coles James, a former dean of Pat Robertson's Regent University and a former vice-president of Gary Bauer's Family Research Council. [...] An evangelical was in charge of placing evangelicals throughout the bureaucracy. The head lobbyist for the Family Research Council boasted that "a lot of FRC people are in place" in the administration. The evangelicals knew which positions could affect their agenda, whom to replace, and whom they wanted appointed. This was true for the Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration, and Health and Human Services agencies that would rule on or administer matters dear to the evangelical causes.
Regent U. has been a graduate institution—with schools including Divinity, Education, Law, and Government—since 1978. An undergraduate program primarily taking place through online courses was launched in 2000 (what a coincidence). The fact that Regent has channeled over 150 alumni into Bush administration jobs gives ominous resonance to their statement of purpose:
The university is committed to educating, influencing and advancing individuals, agencies and governments in order to impact society from a biblical perspective. Regent has now broadened its vision to include an online degree program expanding its influence throughout the world.
Milestone after milestone, Regent continues to mark new territories in Christian education. Divine inspiration has been steadfastly guiding it since its inception in 1978. Regent went from 77 graduates in 1979 to making a worldwide impact in 2007 with a student body exceeding 5,000. Regent University remains committed to making a mark on history by developing Christian leaders that will change the world.
This is "influence" in a literal sense of the word: an influx of Regent grads--a thick and steady current of them--straight into the White House.
Here's a further excerpt from their statement of purpose:
Why Regent?
The purpose of Regent University School of Undergraduate Studies is to equip men and women for "Christian Leadership to Change the World." .... Regent University make’s [sic] God’s purpose for your life a reality and deepens your relationship with the God who Lives.
While it seems that Regent isn't equipping men and women to spell correctly, it also seems that "The God Who Lives" lives on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.