The National Prayer Breakfast held yesterday is hosted by members of the United States Congress. It has often had controversial speakers.
President Obama, himself, is now in that category as yesterday. He initially attacked the Islamic State as "a brutal, vicious death cult that, in the name of religion, carries out unspeakable acts of barbarism."
But, in a call for humility, he pointed out that any faith could be twisted to support evil. "During the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ," Mr. Obama said. "In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ."
For these remarks the President has come under severe attack. In response, Rush Limbaugh said, "Obama has offended every believing Christian in the United States who is ignorant about the agonizing cries of thousands of torture victims during the Christian Inquisitions and also the deaths of 1 million people in the name of Jesus and Muhammad during the Christian Crusades."
And Jim Gilmore, former self-styled "Christian Governor" of VA said the comments go "further to the point that Mr. Obama does not believe in America or the values we share like tolerating dysfunctional government, allowing the disappearance of the middle class, supporting voter ID's, the new Jim Crow, and mass incarceration of blacks."
Finally, Bill Donahue of the American Catholic League said, "The Crusades in the 12th Century were a defensive Christian reaction against Muslim madmen of the Middle Ages. That war has never stopped. ISIS was founded by Saladin in the 11th century.
Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, agreed. "The crusades never ended. But the Muslims could win because President Obama is one of them. They have infiltrated the American government. What did you expect Obama to say at the National Prayer event?
