Ben Carson Disqualifies Himself

The highlight of every Presidential inauguration is when the newly elected President swears that he (or she) will uphold the US Constitution. The exact words are : “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Dr. Ben Carson

There is no mention of God, Religion, Jesus. But when asked by Chuck Todd of Meet the Press, whether the Bible had authority over the Constitution, the Presidential candidate Dr. Carson, responded with, "That is not a simple question. I think probably what you have to do is ask a very specific question about a specific passage of the Bible and a specific portion of the Constitution," Carson said. "I don't think you can answer that question other than out of very specific context."

This answer disqualifies him for the office. You cannot swear an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution with your fingers crossed, thinking that at certain times the Bible may take precedence over the law of the land. I don't think for a minute that Dr. Carson is willing to allow parents to kill their children based on the Bible:

“If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.” 

[Deuteronomy 21:18]

 There are many passages of the Bible that exhort people to do all sorts of things. But the good doctor was very reassuring in that he told Chuck Todd only in very specific cases. Trust me. And that is all the anti-gay, anti abortion folks have to hear. They hear that when it comes to their issues, Constitution be damned, we'll play the Bible card to deny civil rights to gays, and play the Bible card when attempting to end legal abortions.

Maybe these positions have merit, maybe they don't, but bringing the Bible into resolving Constitutional issues is not – if you pardon the expression – Constitutional.

Here is a candidate for President who is telling us in advance that he has a prerogative to invoke the Bible when it suits his purpose, essentially overriding the Constitution when he thinks it is necessary. That is not what the Framers had in mind and it excludes Ben Carson from seeking the Presidency.