THE RULE-MAKING POWER:

Bush Issues 'Faith-Based Initiative' Orders: Decrees Would Allow Religious Programs to Get Federal Money, Contracts (Dana Milbank, December 13, 2002, Washington Post)

President Bush, seeking to revive his "faith-based initiative" after its legislative version failed in Congress, today announced a series of regulatory changes to allow religious social service organizations to receive more government grants and contracts.

In a series of executive orders, Bush directed federal agencies to treat religious and secular charities equally when awarding money, removing regulations that had prohibited church organizations from competing for various federal grants and contracts. The order will continue to ban overt proselytizing in government-funded programs but allows grant recipients to maintain a religious tone and iconography.

"The days of discriminating against religious groups just because they are religious are coming to an end," the president told a group of cheering religious and charitable leaders at a downtown hotel here. While vowing to respect the constitutional separation between church and state, Bush declared that "charities and faith-based programs should not be forced to change their character or compromise their mission" to receive federal money. [...]

Civil liberties groups continued their opposition. "Rather than compromise and work within the political process, the president has decided to circumvent public and congressional opinion," said ACLU official Christopher Anders.

The ability to do which is why the presidency matters. Posted by Orrin Judd at December 13, 2002 8:37 AM