President Gives National Prayer Day a Cold Kneeler

It's pretty obvious that President Obama did not read Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People." Had he done so, he would not have canceled the annual National Day of Prayer gathering today and refused to attend tomorrow's prayer breakfast.

His press flack, Mr. Gibbs, can declare that all Mr. Obama is doing is restoring the prayer day to its "former status" as a presidential non-event, but the impression is clear that our new president wants to have as little contact with traditional American religious groups as he can get away with.

"Prayer is something the president does every day," he said. "We're doing a proclamation, which I know that many administrations in the past have done."

Pressed by reporters as to the lack of a formal ceremony, Mr. Gibbs said the proclamation was Mr. Obama's choice.

"That's the way the president will publicly observe National Prayer Day - privately, he'll pray as he does every day," Mr. Gibbs said.

Someone should ask Mr. Gibbs, "Does he pray every day?" That is not altogether clear by the statement.

After the hubbub over Obama's insistence that he not pose in front of Christian symbols at Georgetown University, I would think he would not wish to further alienate Christians so quickly.

But then, I guess he'd rather take advice from Saul Alinsky than Dale Carnegie.