President Bush Under Attack from Canadian Church Leaders

And now some fresh pickings from the political grapevine:

Missed The Grapevine? Watch it!

Church Head Says Bush Wants Oil
The head of the Presbyterian Church in Canada says President Bush wants to attack Iraq to control Mideast oil supplies. The Rev. Mark Lewis also accuses Bush of wanting to make Western civilization and religion dominant in the Mideast. Lewis says Bush doesn't grasp the concept of people from different backgrounds and religions living together. The Presbyterian moderator is one of 16 Canadian religious leaders urging Prime Minister Jean Chretien to push for peace talks to avert war in Iraq.

Babs Has Advice for Dick
Yesterday we told you about Barbara Streisand faxing some political advice to House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt. Now comes word that a couple of Hollywood heavyweights are backing President Bush's policy on Iraq. Tom Cruise told reporters gathered for the premiere of his film, Minority Report in Rome that Bush's policies are "solid and rooted in reality." He went on to say, "I don't have all the information that President Bush has but I believe Saddam has committed many crimes against humanity and against his own people." Meanwhile director Steven Spielberg says, "If Bush, as I believe, has reliable information on the fact that Saddam Hussein is making weapons of mass destruction, I cannot not support his policies."    

Worries United States Has Been "Islamized"
Franklin Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham, said this week he worries too few people realize the extent to which the country has been "Islamized." In an interview with the Asheville Citizen-Times in North Carolina, he says, "Our country is slowly being, very quietly, being Islamized by huge contributions from Saudi Arabia to our universities to pay for Islamic studies, to support Islamic causes in this country." Graham owns a hospital in southern Sudan, a predominantly Christian area near many oil fields. He says the facility has been bombed several times by the local government, trying to chase people off their traditional land. Graham says, "My comments are based on my own experiences. They lie to you at the same time talking peace. 'We want you to be part of the peace process.' Well, thanks a lot for dropping a bomb on my hospital."