Martin Peretz in the New Republic blog does a number on John Kerry’s latest ploy to seem more like just another heartland, god-loving, gun-toting man’s man. At a recent conference hosted by Al Sharpton (so add racialized demagoguery to Kerry’s list), Kerry cited good old J.C. in a discussion on Medicare.

Not in one phrase uttered and reported by the Lord Jesus Christ, can you find anything that suggests that there is a virtue in cutting children from Medicare.

and then…

Kerry asserted that "the Koran, the Torah, the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles had influenced a social conscience that he exercised in politics”

Peretz refuses to swallow and calls Kerry on his faux-inclusive PC weenie-talk:

My God, what bullshit politicians feel obliged to utter! Or maybe the bullshit is already second nature, or even first. But since Kerry raised it, let me ask: What hadith of the Prophet influenced him the most, and why? And here I have a personal interest: Which of the injunctions of Leviticus and who among the Prophets have the most meaning for him?

Two things really stick out here. First, and obviously, there is Kerry’s fatuous toadying to the pious American electorate. Say what you will about America’s hyper-religiosity, but they would much prefer someone honest about their beliefs to Kerry’s posing. I think—or maybe just hope—that we could elect a president who wasn’t conspicuously religious and yet was still admired for their character and integrity.

Which brings me to the second point: the very fact that Kerry feels the need for this awkward pandering is disturbing. Partly this is an attempt to alleviate his turgid Euro-gravitas with the warm butter of American faith. But on some level, this reflects the desires of an electorate that seems to think belief in the Gospels somehow qualifies you to better reform social security, conduct foreign policy, or push through tax legislation. It’s doesn’t and politicians like Kerry know this and should have the courage to say it.