It has been said that the 2012 presidential race is the GOP's to lose.  In other words, they can lose only if they snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.  Unfortunately, the interpretation of a candidate's religious views can often invoke cries for separation of church and state that the left then uses to narrow the goal posts or to change the slope of the field.  Although there is no such thing as separation of church and state in the Constitution, ever since Everson v. Board of Education in 1947,  this phrase has been "taught" to the public through the schools, media, and by pressure groups like the ACLU.  As a result, today's media use this false interpretation of our original document to demonize any GOP candidate for his or her religious beliefs, especially if the candidate happens to espouse Christianity.  So it brings no surprise that the Rick Perry candidacy has the media in full assault mode:

I'm not ready to tell you that I'm ready to announce that I'm in, Gov. Rick Perry told The Des Moines Register. But I'm getting more and more comfortable every day that this is what I've been called to do. This is what America needs.

Perry, like many Americans, relies on God as a moral compass.  In that manner, he is no different than our Founding Fathers who often quoted the Old and New Testaments in their writings and speeches.  Yet for the left, Governor Perry's statement "I've been called to do" is an invitation to antagonize, belittle, and destroy him.  If the left didn't control every major media outlet and American newspaper (with the exception of Fox News and talk radio), it wouldn't matter, as those on the American left will never vote Republican.  Unfortunately, too many independent voters still don't realize that their "mainstream" news outlets, including the late night comedy shows, are mouthpieces for the left who are more than willing to recreate the big lie to achieve their end.  Perry's message, "I've been called to do," is therefore taken out of context, translated, and disparagingly repeated as "God told Perry to Run" by the leftwing media.   As any Google search will illustrate, repeated and repeated it is.  The chilling and unfortunate effect is to scare the independent voter into thinking that Rick Perry speaks to God as if he were Moses, or that Perry wants to create a theocratic state.  It is these independent voters in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Florida that are needed to win in 2012, some of whom are already scared about a President Perry. 

Governor Perry must learn to focus on the economic issues and to brush aside the attempts to bait him into discussions on creationism versus evolution.  The left is desperate for sound bites that will show up as commercials should Perry win the nomination.  Michael Medved put it best on his radio show last week:  'For a conservative candidate to win he must have conservative substance and moderate style.'  It is the winning equation to beat Mr. Obama, the most destructive president since Jimmy Carter.