George W. Bush is an Evangelical Christian.  His faith is apparent in many of the policies that he supports.  Looking at his stands on Education and Immigration, the words of Christ spring to mind.

"'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.  For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.'

"Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?  Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?  When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?'

"And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!"  (Matthew 25: 34-40 NLT)

In this passage, liberals can find a scriptural justification for all sorts of social programs based on the idea of providing for the welfare of others.  Nevermind, that the call if for righteous individuals, it remains a clarion call for love of others and looking out for the welfare of others.  In light of Christ's comments throughout His earthly ministry, He means that love of and welfare of others includes those that we disagree with and consider our enemies.

Recently, at Hot Air, Allahpundit posed a question to Christians:

Serious question: if it’s okay to turn the other cheek when it comes to child killers, why isn’t it okay when it comes to, say, Al Qaeda or Saddam Hussein? That inconsistency among hawkish Christians has always troubled me.

Or is it perfectly consistent, and I’m just missing something?

I contributed some answers, none really satisfactory to me, but I believe I found an answer that reconciles President Bush's actions and therefore justification for Christian hawkishness, int he face of Christ's admonishment to love your enemies and to turn the other cheek. 

From the Sermon on the Mount:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'  Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'  (Matthew 7: 21-23 NIV)

This passage is commonly interpreted to refer to false prophets.  In that Muslims, Jews and Christians all claim to be the true followers of God, there is plenty of space to refer to the followers or leaders of other faiths as falseprophets .  I think the use of "evildoers" was deliberate.  And I think the parallel between those who cry "Lord, Lord" and do not do what God says and radical Islamists who disregard the message of love for enemies that Christ specifically calls His followers to adhere to is plain.  And I think it was plain to President Bush as well.

When America was attacked, it was not just terrorists who attacked us, it was an ideology of hate that attacked us, an ideology couched in the wild interpretations of the teachings of a religion that is a cousin to Christianity.   The initial response of many Christians was, "Praise the Lord, pass the ammunition."  And I think President Bush was among them.  Recognizing his place as the head of the World's most powerful nation, he was in a unique position to respond to an attack on his nation, and an attack on his faith.

When anyone defames God, and make no mistake, Yahweh, Jehovah, God, Allah are the same God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, and Muhammad, that defamation is a desecration of what is sacred to believers.  When the terrorists attacked, they took innocent lives in the name of God.  For a nation, it would be impossible to turn the other cheek.

An interesting question to pose to President Bush, but one that escapes the mainstream media, due to their inherent lack of understanding of Christian theology, would be to ask:

"Mr. President, we know you hold your beliefs very strongly, and among the tenets of Christianity is the idea of loving your enemies.  Do you feel that as an individual, you have forgiven Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda for September 11th?  And as a followup, if you have, how does that impact your role as commander in chief in the war against terror?"

I agree strongly with many of the assertions made in the comment threads, that it is the responsibility of Christians to as individuals seek to find the strength from God to forgive those who attack us.  But it is also necessary that those who have attacked us, face the consequences of their actions.

Reprinted from Ennuipundit