President At Natl. Hispanic Prayer Breakfast

Last Thursday, President Bush delivered remarks at the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast, held at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. This is the third "national" prayer breakfast the President has addressed this year. In May he spoke at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast (see prior posting), and in February he addressed the annual National Prayer Breakfast. After the 2004 National Prayer Breakfast, the New Republic's Easterblogg raised some provocative questions about the institution of prayer breakfasts. Some of the criticisms may be cheap shots, like this description of the event: "hundreds of dignitaries and big-shots get together to proclaim their deep prayerful concern for the downtrodden while being served by impoverished Salvadorans and Mexicans". But as prayer breakfasts proliferate, the critique is worth re-reading.