| Why Bush wont meet the UM bishops They came, they saw, they met with each other. Thats what the United Methodist Council of Bishops did Nov. 2-7 in its meeting near Washington, D.C. (see story, page 1). Perhaps what is most noteworthy about their meeting is what didnt happen: They did not meet with fellow United Methodist, President George W. Bush. Every president in the history of the United States has met with a group of representatives from the Council of Bishops. Every president. Except this one ... so far. With the Council of Bishops meeting in Bushs backyard, and with invitations extended months in advance, the president somehow could not find time in his schedule to meet with the Council of Bishops in a plenary setting, nor could he eke out a few minutes to receive a delegation at the Oval Office. Frankly, if I were President Bush, I wouldnt meet with the bishops, either. Its a classic no-win situation. The Council of Bishops, as a body, has been vocal in its opposition to the war in Iraq. Oh sure, there are those individual bishops who supported the military action, and they, like all bishops, are free to have their opinion. And then there are the occasional secret meetings between Bush and a couple of bishops and/or clergy from Texas for times of prayer and whatnot. But as a body, the Council has been opposed to the war from way before it started. Bush knows this and doesnt want to get drawn into a debate or a time of questions and answers about it. Theres no way he could walk into such a meeting and not lose something. Nor does Bush, apparently, want to hold something as churchy as a prayer breakfast with the bishops. Must be that its too dangerous to let a bishop say something during a prayer that might offend the commander in chief. So why wont the president meet the bishops? Perhaps, someone said, the bishops have hurt Bushs feelings. True, there was that full-page ad in the April 5 issue of Christian Century magazine, signed by seven bishops and Jim Winkler, general secretary of the General Board of Church and Society, calling for Bush to repent. On the face of it, that Bushs feelings were hurt by this ad or any other ad, for that matter sounds somewhat sophomoric. But it was United States (and United Methodist) Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) who actually offered this explanation. In a United Methodist News Service story on the Nov. 5 day on Capitol Hill, Sessions was queried by Bishop Melvin Talbert, the ecumenical officer for the council, about why President Bush had failed to respond to repeated requests to meet. You know, he said, people are human beings. They may feel theyve been hurt from things that are said. So Bush wont meet with the Council of Bishops because his feelings have been hurt? Oh, grow up. The real reason that President Bush doesnt have to worry about not meeting with the Council of Bishops of his own church is because no one cares. No one important to Bush, that is. And by that, I mean voters. By not meeting with the bishops, Bush upsets exactly no one who would vote for him anyway. And that, in the end, is what counts most to a politician looking for re-election: votes. A report I saw on the Today Show when President Bush signed the abortion bill into law noted that part of enacting this law was to show the four million Christian conservatives who didnt vote in the 2000 election that there is a man in the White House who is there for them. When Bush failed to meet with his own denominational heads, he only angered (by my guess) a few million voters who, more than likely, wouldnt have voted for Bush anyway. Thats why Bush didnt meet with the Council of Bishops. And thats why my gut says he wont in the future. But heres why he should: common decency. In the absence of that, what should good United Methodists do, other than feel theyve been written off as a voice crying in the wilderness? Prayer is a good place to start. Pray that the president has a change of heart and agrees to sit down and talk with his bishops. He doesnt have to agree with anything they say. In fact, he doesnt have to do anything other than listen, for it is in the listening that the Holy Spirit works. Write letters. Address them to President George W. Bush, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20500. Call. The phone number is (202) 456-1111. The switchboard is (202) 456-1414. Send an e-mail to
. You and I might disagree with what President Bush has done in Iraq; you and I might disagree about his economic policies here at home; you might even think his faith-based initiatives are the best thing since sliced bread and I might think theyre a one-way ticket to disaster. But one thing we do agree on is respect of the office. If youve ever had the opportunity to meet a president, when he walks in the room, everyone every person stands up. Thats respect. Thats common courtesy. Its a shame Bush wont extend the same thing to his bishops. | 
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