STEPHANOPOULOS: [JFK's speech on church state separation] has been read, as you know, by millions of Americans ... Why did it make you throw up?
SANTORUM: Because the first line, first substantive line in the speech says, "I believe in America where the separation of church and state is absolute." I don't believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute. The idea that the church can have no influence or no involvement in the operation of the state is absolutely antithetical to the objectives and vision of our country. -ABC News
Encroachment of religions upon our secular government is not new, but it is radical. Nor is this Santorum's first foray into JFK bashing—on the 50th anniversary of JFK's famous speech on church-state separation,
Santorum declared "Kennedy chose not just to dispel fear, he chose to expel faith." This nonsensical assertion is, of course,
without merit. But I really wonder if Santorum is prepared to level the same accusation against
Ronald Reagan:
We in the United States, above all, must remember that lesson, for we were founded as a nation of openness to people of all beliefs. And so we must remain. Our very unity has been strengthened by our pluralism. We establish no religion in this country, we command no worship, we mandate no belief, nor will we ever. Church and state are, and must remain, separate.
Hear the retching? That's Santorum. Just wait till he finds about
Vatican II.