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Preaching to the choir, Bush keeps God out of it
BEAVERTON - President Bush's critics accuse him of wearing his religious faith on his sleeve. But this past week, the president more often seemed to be keeping it under a bushel.

At town-hall style events from Niceville, Fla., to Albuquerque, N.M., to Beaverton, many supporters posed the president with religiously themed questions and comments about faith, prayer and issues such as abortion and stem cell research.

And while the president does not usually shy away from discussing his personal faith, he sometimes found himself in an awkward position - trying to validate his supporters' views without endorsing them in a way that would alienate more moderate swing voters.

Typical was an exchange at a packed high school gym in Beaverton, where a woman lamented that, ``I've heard through the grapevine that Oregon is one of the most unchurched states in the union. And I really feel like it shows up in every walk of our society.''

She asked Bush, ``Could you take a moment to pray for Oregon, for us, right now?''...