"America is an idea, not owned by a particular religion"

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton joined the chorus of 2016 hopefuls criticizing neurosurgeon Ben Carson for saying he would not support a Muslim becoming president. Clinton, like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), invoked the Constitution in a tweet Monday, debunking Carson’s point that Islam is incompatible with the Constitution and the American presidency. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), also pursuing the Democratic nomination for president, took to Twitter to call out Carson, too…. “You judge candidates for president not on their religion, not on the color of their skin, but on their ideas, on what they stand for,” he said.

One of the things a President commits to when taking the oath of office is that he/she “will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” That means ALL of the Constitution, NOT just what that President considers convenient. This may perhaps come as a shock to Dr. Ben Carson, now running second (or third, depending on which poll you choose to believe) to Donald Trump in the Republican Presidential horse race. Carson, made a statement over the weekend implying that the idea of a Muslim being President is “inconsistent with the values and principles of America.” Carson is, of course, free to his opinion odious though it may be. He doesn’t have to love the idea of a Muslim occupying the highest office in the land…but he cannot claim to love and defend the Constitution while advocating a President must be Christian. All one need do is read Article VI of the Constitution, which states explicity that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”

I suppose it’s easier for Carson to vilify Muslims than to actually talk about how he’d fix what he sees as being wrong with America today. If you can divert the American Sheeple toward hating a minority class- Muslims, in this case- there’s a pretty good chance you’ll be able to avoid specifics. After all, there’s nothing wrong with America that a good Two Minute Hate can’t cure, eh? (Apologies to George Orwell)