“I have read the same quote from Palin. Although it could be interpreted that way, I don’t think it is clear from the quote that that is what she meant by it. I always like to give a person the benefit of the doubt and let them explain their own sound bites. From what she has said elsewhere, I believe she simply meant that if this was God’s will, then pray for that.”

I can only go by what Palin says. In this case it’s perfectly clear: Palin claims to know that God has a plan for building a gas line.

Words have meaning, which is presumably why you made an effort to analyze precisely what Palin said about our troops in Iraq. In my opinion, we should hold our politicians responsible for both their actions and their words.

Palin has used phrases like “God’s will” and “God’s plan” on more than one occasion in support of political positions. Now, if Palin had used the phrase “God’s will” in urging humanitarian work, it wouldn’t be a concern for me since the Bible offers instruction about charity and giving. But the Bible offers no guidance about gas lines. Therefore when Palin talks about “God’s will” regarding gas lines, she’s using religion to carry a political agenda.

It would be wonderful if Sarah Palin would explain some of her political positions to me. Unfortunately, that’s not a realistic possibility. As we’ve seen, she’s not even been generally available to the press. Therefore, as a voter, I have no choice but to judge her on her words and actions, just as I do for Obama, McCain, and Biden. In this case, she clearly linked building a gas line in Alaska with “God’s will.” Since I don’t believe that God has a plan for gas lines in Alaska, I’ve concluded that Palin used an appeal to religion to try to win support for her political position.

Thank you for letting me post a dissenting opinion on your blog.