If you are an ordinary Joe or Josephine it really doesn't matter, and may even be the right thing, if you decide to put your religion and family before the needs of the country. After all, in most cases the three dovetail for ordinary folks. Take care of home and hearth, be good to your neighbors, congregate with others of your faith and odds are you will be a good citizen too.
But the President of the United States is in a different position. The job is to take care of the country first and foremost, to the detriment of your own health, sleep, peace of mind, marriage, relationship with your kids, seeing your family at holidays, going to church, etc. The job that you sought, spent hundreds of millions of other people's money to get, is one that mandates sacrifice of your own life and desires to the needs of the country and Constitution you have sworn to uphold.
George Bush doesn't see it that way. We've known for a long time that he is indifferent to the damage he does to the country as long as his personal mission -- religious or political -- is followed to the letter. His legendary "loyalty" is really just taking care of his own, a kind of perverted cronyism (as if cronyism weren't already perverted) that extends his family beyond blood and marriage.
But now George Bush is going out in public and categorically stating that he thinks that his obligation is to take care of his god and his family -- probably including Rove, Gonzales, Miers, Condi, etc. -- before he gets to the needs of the country. And he said this to a bunch of middle school kids in Ohio, the state that handed Bush the last election:
"And I will tell you, one reason -- this may sound counterintuitive, but a good marriage is really good after serving together in Washington, D.C. It's been an amazing experience to be a husband and then a dad as president of the United States. I emphasize, that is the priority for me as the president. It's my faith, my family, and my country. And I am pleased to report that our family is doing great, particularly since my wife is such a fantastic person. And she sends her very best."
The first time I read that I thought, "Ha, he said what he feels by mistake again!" Then I read it, and re-read it and realized that our President meant exactly what his words said for one of the few times in his presidency.
This guy really thinks it's more important to take care of his family than it is to take care of the country, and he's not afraid to say so in public.
It explains why Neil Bush can get away with making a fortune selling educational software in support of his brother's No Child Left Behind policy.
It explains how Poppy Bush benefits financially from the Carlyle Group's government contracts.
It explains why Bush's daughters can get away with drinking underage and using fake ID while being driven around and followed by the nation's top cops. This, of course, at a time when people are getting years in jail for producing fake IDs due to the world-changing 9-11 attacks.
It explains tons of things he's done to support failed personnel in his administration whom he considers family.
But we knew all this. The weird thing is that now he is willing to say on the record that he cares more about his rich family than he does about the country, and not one regular media outlet picked it up.