Putting Christ in presidential politics?

WASHINGTON -- Mike Huckabee's politics of piety appear to be winning the hearts of Iowa Republicans. He has acquired a new first name from the nation's headline writers, who call him "Surging Huckabee."

But what will voters elsewhere make of such declarations as "Faith doesn't just influence me; it really defines me"?

That's vintage Huckabee, a former Southern Baptist minister and governor of Arkansas, in a TV ad that helped propel his rise in Iowa polls. The words "CHRISTIAN LEADER" then appeared onscreen.

Last week, Huckabee's video Christmas card made an even more overtly religious appeal.

The warm-and-fuzzy ad running in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina carries the message that what's most important in this season isn't presidential campaigning at all -- but Christ.

"At this time of year ... what really matters is the celebration of the birth of Christ and being with our family and our friends," he said. A Christmas tree glows, and "Silent Night" plays. He wishes a "magnificent Christmas season" and ends with "God bless and merry Christmas."

Watch it here: goto.seattlepi.com/r1181

Viewers more observant than I spotted a white cross behind him. Huckabee said it was just a bookshelf, but critics said it was a subliminal message aimed at Christian voters.

Huckabee has every right to wish people a merry Christmas. As a presidential candidate, though, his actions are rightly viewed in a political context.

Huckabee's cheery Christian campaign is useful politically in Iowa, where half the likely caucus-goers Jan. 3 will consider themselves "born again" Christians, according to the Des Moines Register. His lead over former front-runner Mitt Romney is due to support from religious women, pollsters say. Huckabee's folksy, funny style is attractive, and it doesn't hurt that he learned to put down a fork.

But employing religious language and symbolism is not without risk. In especially the big states whose primaries follow Iowa and South Carolina, many people still want to keep church and state separate. When Huckabee appeals as a Christian to other Christians, he creates an "us" that excludes "them" -- people of other faiths as well as nonbelievers.

Don't get me wrong. I'm glad Huckabee is being candid. He does us all a favor when he shares what's in his heart and mind. It's good to know he doubts evolution and favors teaching creationism in the schools.

Presidential elections are about hiring someone to lead us. People should be aware of the principles and vision that will guide the president -- although, of course, there's no guarantee the ideals will be followed.

Interestingly, Huckabee is riding a trend of melding religion and politics that started more than a quarter-century ago.

The authors of a new book, "The God Strategy: How Religion Became a Political Weapon in America," studied presidential speeches from Franklin D. Roosevelt to George W. Bush and found an "astounding" increase in religiosity.

Scholars David Domke and Kevin Coe found that presidents from FDR to Jimmy Carter mentioned God only about 47 percent of the time.

But since Ronald Reagan's 1980 "crusade" presidential campaign, presidents have rarely missed an opportunity to invoke God.

President Bush has mentioned God in 94 percent of his speeches; President Clinton, 93 percent; and the first President Bush, 91 percent, according to Domke and Coe. Reagan mentioned God in 96 percent of his speeches.

(Amazingly, the ubiquitous "God Bless America" that closes presidential speeches wasn't even uttered by a president until Richard Nixon in 1973. But I digress.)

This year, we know a lot about the spiritual lives of our presidential candidates. They have agreed the Bible is the word of God and the greatest book ever written. They've pondered what Jesus would do about capital punishment and explained how prayer works in their lives.

National polls show a statistical dead heat among Huckabee, Romney and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Romney, in his speech defending his Mormon faith, tellingly also affirmed his belief that "Jesus Christ is the son of God and the savior of mankind."

And, the former Massachusetts governor declared, implicitly distinguishing himself from Huckabee, "I do not define my candidacy by my religion."