J. David Kuo, an evangelical Christian leader who was an influential figure in President George W. Bush's faith initiative who later turned his back on the administration, died on Friday after battling brain cancer. He was 44: J. David Kuo, Who Split From Bush Faith Effort, Dies at 44.Kuo was deputy director the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, and played an instrumental role in the Bush administration's effort to link religious groups with the delivery of social services.
But after only two years, he left the administration, claiming that President Bush had failed to live up to his promise of "compassionate conservatism" and used the evangelical movement as a political prop:
"National Christian leaders received hugs and smiles in person and then were dismissed behind their backs and described as 'ridiculous,' 'out of control,' and just plain 'goofy,' " Mr. Kuo wrote in a memoir, "Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction."More here: J. David Kuo, onetime leader of Bush's faith-based initiative, dies at 44.
In interviews after he left the White House, including an appearance on "60 Minutes" in 2006, Mr. Kuo said Mr. Bush was a "good man" but faulted him as having failed to live up to his promise of "compassionate conservatism," which he said could have helped the poor.
"Conservative Christians (like me) were promised that having an evangelical like Mr. Bush in office was a dream come true," Mr. Kuo wrote in an opinion article in The New York Times in 2006. "Well, it wasn't. Not by a long shot. The administration accomplished little that evangelicals really cared about."
