Jim Wallis Takes the Low Road

Jim Wallis has been taken to task for claiming that Democrats are anti-religion. Who, exactly, has made these anti-religion statements, he has been asked. Well, now he is refusing to say. Why? He's taking the high road. No, he's taking the low road, the one blazed by Sen. Joe McCarthy.

Unless the people he claims to be quoting had a reasonable expectation of confidentiality, Wallis should name names. The reason he's not, of course, has nothing to do with taking "the high road." It's self-serving, in the following ways:

• It allows Wallis to quote people without anyone being able to determine whether the quotes are accurate.
• It allows Wallis to characterize these quotes as representative of Democratic thinking, without anyone being able to determine whether he's referring to Howard Dean or Lyndon LaRouche.
• It allows Wallis to advance his political position in the guise of responding to these unattributed quotes, which may or may not be mere straw men.
• It allows Wallis, as McCarthy did, to advance the generalization that his cause is under siege from evil enemies within.

It's self-serving cowardice and intellectual dishonesty...from a man of faith. No wonder so many Democrats are anti-religion!