One of the oldest tricks in not only politics, but also in journalism: guilt by association. How sad that Mr.Cohen is trying to discredit her - really mock her - somehow insinuate she isn't on the same level as other gov'ment lawyers - because of where she chose to be educated. He really should be ashamed. But in my estimation, not many politicians of any stripe - whether Christian or not - know much about shame.

Ted, Ted don't be so touchy. You have gone way too far here in trying to defend Monica and Regent. The basic problem here is that this obviously sincere young woman went to a Christian College and a Christian law school, and then blatantly disobeyed federal law and precedent when she let partisan politics influence her hiring choices for jobs that were supposed to be non-partisan, where a person’s political beliefs or affiliations are not supposed to be a factor in hiring them. She admitted (only after being granted immunity from prosecution) that she did do that, that she “crossed the line,” and that she regretted it. Simply put, she put her own partisan political position above obeying the law. And she was in the Justice Department where they are sworn to uphold and defend the law! Of course it is normal and natural for the senators and the press to raise the question: since Regent is supposed to be a Christian university teaching Christian values about the rule of law, how can a graduate of Regent so blatantly disobey the law? Did Regent teach her that loyalty to the Republican Party is above loyalty to the law? That is what we evangelicals ought to be asking also, instead of whining and boo hooing that “we poor evangelicals are always picked on by the liberal press.” In this case, we deserved it, and we need to examine ourselves and repent of this nasty habit we are falling into of putting our political beliefs above our obedience to Jesus and His Kingdom values.

Maybe the media is making a bigger deal of it than it should. But as Victor noted, a story here that is worth looking into is that although she graduated from the religious schools she has admitted taking actions that were illegal and unethical. How do her actions compare with the ethics being taught at Regent?

"Rep. Cohen did not protest, even though Howard’s bar-passing statistics don’t measure up to Regent’s."

This statement is completely untrue. A look at the data shows that Regent had only had a better bar passage rate than Howard once in the last five years, and on average, Howard beats Regent by at least 10 points.

I have written to Mr. York and asked him to justify the statement.

I'm not holding my breath waiting for a response.

If the senator could answer this question I'd be interested.

Senator: Would you prefer all Lawyers attend a Socialist University?
Would you like for the assault on our Constitution continue?

Thanks

Ed

Check out Regent University's website.

The slogan: "America's Preeminent Christian University." http://www.regent.edu/

About Regent University: "Regent University is the nation's academic center for Christian thought and action." http://www.regent.edu/about_us/

Oh please.

It does not take much digging to find the hubris and silliness that characterizes Pat Robertson's career in his university. Anyone who goes to Regent University accepts the fact they will be painted with the Robertson brush even as anyone who attends Liberty U.(Falwell) or Bob Jones have to clarify their views from those of their founders.

This story confirms what most liberals fear. That conservatives (under the guise of Christianity) will take power and then use it corruptly. Regent University and everyone from the Religious Right needs to accept this story as embarrassing. Doing what's good for my party or even doing what's best for my country is not the same as doing what's right. Christians should know the difference.

Victor et al: I'll agree that for many, the irony and hypocrisy factors are the reason that Goodling's Christian college connections are worth noting. And I'm not interesting in making Goodling into some kind of hero or martyr. But Cohen's questions (and a fair bit of the media coverage and op-eds) don't strike me as trying to accuse Goodling of not being Christian enough. They seem to be either designed to mock her Regent background or to imply that there is some nefarious, perhaps theocratic, plot at work.

One more note: in contrast to coverage of Goodling, it's somewhat rare to see media references to David C. Iglesias's academic background, though his undergraduate college trains students "for Christ and his kingdom," requires its faculty members to sign a Protestant statement of faith and teach a literal Adam and Eve, and mandates chapel attendance.

I'm a little puzzled by the self immolation that we evangelicals practice. I'm not surprised or upset when Liberals hire people from a similar background or political camp. Why is it wrong when Christians or Conservatives do the same? It's just human nature to hire someone we connect with. As long as all qualifications are met I would expect pro-abortion or gay rights groups to hire people that are in line with their world view. If I'm looking to hire someone and am "influenced by my Christian world view" are you saying I'm crossing the line if I pass up a pro-gay rights, pro-abortion liberal (and I apologize for the caricature but I do it to make a point)for an equally qualified Conservative Christian?

When the Senate holds an investigation or when someone writes an article on "Why doesn't Al Gore hire people who disagree with him?" I'll consider being embarrassed. Until then I'll remember that people act according to their personal viewpoint. (I'm sure that the now Democratic House and Senate aren't scouring resumes to give equal footing to Bob Jones Alumni as they do to Harvard Grads in an effort to appear "non-partisan". Nor will anyone criticize them for hiring staffers with agendas similar to theirs.)

And that was the point of the article - being questioned not for your actions but for your school affiliation and it's world view.

The irony is that if we (Christians)claim to be something as reflected in our institutional identity (e,g.,we are ethically superior due to our Christian commitment)then if we play politics as usual, esp. in the Justice Dpet.,then it's a matter of being "hoist on your own petard." In truth, it's embarrasing when the "world" has to point out Christians sins and shortcomings; but it appears to be absolutely necessary in some cases. If we hold ourselves to a higher standard then we'd better live it.This is why Jesus slammed the Pharisees on occasion.

P.S. Mr Iglesias' college background wasn't called into question, I presume, because he showed himself to be an ethical man (as a Christian conservative Republican)and not simply a political hack.

Hi Ted,

The choice of a college really is up to the student, unlike high school, junior high, and elementary school in which the student is basically forced to attend whichever schools are in closest proximity to their parents' home.

That said, Ms. Goodling and any other student choosing to attend Regent must understand that for better or worse, the school is branded with the Pat Robertson seal. Moreover, pretty much everyone knows that Pat Robertson is a controversial figure, and that anything associated with him is also controversial, including Regent. This may make it tougher for Regent grads to aspire to government jobs, and may give them more to answer for in Ms. Goodling's case, but then nobody forced them to choose Regent.

That doesn't make Rep. Cohen's strange line of questioning justified by any means, I'm simply making the point that perhaps Ms. Goodling should have been astute enough to realize the "guilt by Robertson association" factor might hamper her progress in her career of choice.

Just some thoughts.

God Bless. I hope things are well at CT!

As a fellow Tennessean, please allow me to apologize for Steve Cohen's stupid behavior. He has been embarassing us for many years. We sent him to DC so we could get him out of Tennessee. We would also like to get his fellow traveler Al Gore out of the state as soon as possible; does anyone out there want him? Maybe when Fred Thompson is elected president next year, folks will see the real contrast in the Tennessee boys. Steve's Memphis is 600 miles from me, but it still hurts that he has TN after his name. His website talks about all of the quotes that Molly Ivans, the NY Crimes and Newsweak cite from him. If you read his bio, you will surely agree that Steve is in love with himself and wants to get all the camera "face time" that he can so he can be quoted by some liberal media "source."

Well, in this morning's Washington Post article I saw no mention of Regent University. Nor in yesterday's. Maybe we're reading different media.

Now here's something to chew on: what if Robertson's Regent University does indeed have some sinister theocratic objectives? We all know what Pat robertson has been guilty of doing in the past 25 years: cozying up to African disctators in order to further his diamond interests, shilling for politicians and policies that weaken the separation of church and state, promiting the arms race and tax cuts as "Christian issues" and branding as heretics those like me who don't follow along. If Ms. Goodling had behaved her Regent credentials wouldn't be scrutinized so closely. And Ted's point about Iglesias' alma mater not being brought into discussion underscores that this isn't just an anti-Christian thing, but a healthy concern about Robertson's form of "Christianity."

Whatever happened to "no religious test" and the congressman's oath of office?

She set her self up to a higher standard (a good thing) then betrayed that through behaving hypocritically and dishonestly.....

The man makes a fair point - and yes it does matter that she went to a Christian College. I want others (many others) to do the same - why? Because I believe (or at least hope) that they will be taught a higher standard, and then honor that. She did not.

Patrick: Or maybe we're reading different Washington Posts!

Shouldn't the revelation that 150 graduates of the 156th best law school in America end up working for the government be the biggest scandal since slavery? The religous element is just the icing on the farce. I guess justice and rule of law are only for export to Muslim countries, since it certainly doesnt exist in America.

I think we have to consider Cohen's questions in context.

First, Regent is an abysmally poor law school that has historically turned out large number of graduates who struggle even to pass the bar. Yet this school lands 150 graduates at DOJ? Come again? These figures would be unremarkable if we were talking about Harvard or Stanford, but Regent? My law alma mater has consistently been a top-25 law school and can boast nowhere near this number of folks at DOJ. If Regent were ranked similarly to Notre Dame (another conservative Christian law school), it might be unremarkable. But it is remarkable when one of the worst law schools in the country lands that many folks in prestigious DOJ jobs. If this isn't nepotism, I don't know what is.

Second, Regent is not just Christian. Rather, the school seems to advocate a kind of Christian nationalism that is somewhat hostile to the settled jurisprudence of US jurisdictions. Sadly, mainstream evangelicals have been silent for too long regarding guys like Robertson. Since we have failed to condemn their lunacy publicly, we are stuck bearing the shame that they bring to themselves and to us. I'm all for Christian law schools. But let's build good Christian law schools and not ideology-driven diploma mills. We need more good Christian lawyers, after all. But we can do without the political hacks generated by Regent.

Besides, if Regent is such a great law school, you'd think that Goodling would hire an alum to represent her. But did she?

Dear R. Dailey,
I am unsure as to where your clear dislike and unfounded anger towards Regent Law School comes from, but I would simply like to point out that over the last 2 years Regent University Enrollment is up and their standards for admission are steadily rising. So, before you jump to a rash "bottom line" conclusion be reminded that statements without factual evidence let everyone know you are simply here to degrade and discriminate against christian conservatives rather than hold reasonable debate. Also, I would be glad to get you one of the Regent University National Moot Court Championship polo shirts if you are interested (or maybe you would like to get the 2nd or 3rd place shirts from Harvard and Yale). If your interested my email is harris.GL@hotmail.com.

God Bless.

I am all for persons of faith serving in our government. I am also for Faith based education. What I can not abide is unqualified political hacks occupying positions simply because they pray at the same alter as the boss. Ms. Goodling, while probably a very nice woman, did not deserve the position she was entrusted. When asked about her previous experience making personnel decisions, her first thought was to espouse her position as class president in college. Not high on the list of credible credentials. Shows more ineptitude on the part of an administration that has sought to isolate itself from reality.

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I think that what the Senator was really trying to get at was that sometimes we as christians tend follow pretty darn blindly.
So if Monica was doing her best to hire 150 lawyers from Regent than I would say that she probably wasn't following the rule of law or even God but Pat Robertson.(Who you've got to admit is not a decent influence like he may have been in the past.) If you look at history, like our founding fathers did, than the separation of church and state makes a whole lot of sense. Freedom of religion is not just for us christians. Freedom is for all Americans. Hindus, Voodoo, Dinosaur worship, all get a fair shake NO MATTER WHAT. So if we have one religion forming policy and writing laws for everyone else, it's not a free country anymore. See what you think if it became illegal to go to church because a Voodoo priest was in the justice dept. and was hiring only people who practice Voodoo. Remember, freedom of or freedom from religion is an inalieble right for all Americans.