Bush's Inaction Over General's Islam Remarks Riles Two Faiths
WASHINGTON — More than a month has passed since the disclosure that a fundamentalist Christian policymaker at the Pentagon had disparaged Muslims for worshipping idols.
Yet to U.S. diplomats charged with selling America to the Arab world, the remarks by Lt. Gen. William G. "Jerry" Boykin are an albatross they cannot seem to shake.
"I get calls from officials in Arab countries every day about Boykin," said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute. "They are stunned nothing has happened."
While the Pentagon investigates Boykin's remarks, the passage of time is turning the episode into a no-win dilemma for the Bush administration, pitting its need to reach out to the Arab world against the sentiments of fundamentalist Christians, who form a core constituency heading into an election year.
Both camps are livid about the White House response to Boykin's remarks -- President Bush has distanced himself but has not taken any steps to remove him -- and profess amazement that the matter has not yet been resolved in their favor.
The battle over Boykin shows a Bush administration torn between its policy imperatives and its political interests -- a White House hoping the controversy will fade away, or maybe that Boykin will.
In an administration where the president himself is a born-again Christian, punishing believers does not come naturally.
"There's a school of thought that says the whole thing may die down and you can ignore it, but that's just the domestic side. It doesn't take the impact in the Middle East into account," said an official who recently left the Bush administration.
"Boykin has to retire. This is a situation where the guy has to ask himself, 'Can I help the administration more by staying or by leaving?' That's a hard thing to do, but he's got to do it."
In speeches to Christian groups around the country, Boykin, often in uniform, has said that radical Muslims hate the United States "because we're a Christian nation
The Pentagon, at Boykin's request, is looking into whether the general, who was recently named deputy Defense undersecretary for intelligence, violated any regulations with his remarks.
Whatever the outcome of the inspector general's investigation, the effect on the Middle East has been tumultuous.
A top official who is part of the U.S. team trying to win hearts and minds in the Arab world was traveling in the Middle East when news of Boykin's remarks broke.
