Stern Words From the Preacher at the President's Side - New York Times

Stern Words From the Preacher at the President's Side - New York Times: "Supporters of Bishop Jakes said afterward that his performance was an agile fusing of religion and Hurricane Katrina's tough racial politics, and that his pointed words showed that he was not there as a blind supporter of Mr. Bush. Others said that after the government's slow response to so many of Katrina's poor, black victims, Bishop Jakes should not have been there at all.

Either way, the presence of Bishop Jakes - who also stood at Mr. Bush's side in Baton Rouge, La., on Sept. 5 - underscored how much the White House is trying to shore up its support among the conservative black Pentecostal preachers whom Republican strategists have seen as a link to potential black votes.

So far, none of the half-dozen black megapreachers close to the White House have abandoned Mr. Bush. But after Hurricane Katrina neither have they embraced him, Bishop Jakes included.

As Bishop Jakes said in a telephone interview on Friday about his White House invitation and his relationship with the president: 'We're not cousins or anything like that. I just think that we have an open-door policy with all presidents. And when I'm asked to come, if my schedule allows me, I will always come, no matter who is in the White House.'

Bishop Jakes, who also had a relationship with President Bill Clinton, added: 'I do think that African-Americans are waiting to see what this administration is going to do about this crisis. If the appropriate actions are taken in an expeditious, competent way, I think then our community will re-evaluate our opinions of this administration.'"