(Washington, D.C., April 22, 2003) A report entitled Bush: The New Face of the Religious Right was released today by the American Humanist Association. This new report details how the Bush Administration is the new executive branch of the Religious Right. It also explores the question, "Is President Bush so beholden to religious fundamentalism that he is illegally making appointments based on faith?"

When President Bush says, "I welcome faith to help solve the nation's deepest problems," it's clear from his context and actions that he may not just welcome such help but that he is actually relying on it. As this report details, Bush is not just a public official who happens to hold a strong faith, he's one who's willing to allow his faith and Religious Right interpretations of faith to guide national policy.

Bush is the most overtly religious president to use his office as a bully pulpit, and his pervasive religiosity is raising serious concerns. If Bush is choosing his appointees based on their faiths, he is in direct violation of Article VI of the United States Constitution as it states, "No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." Despite being spread across many different offices, several Bush appointments (some clearly unqualified) are nevertheless comparable in one conspicuous way. A survey of his friends, advisers, and appointments reveals a disconcerting similarity--an unusual proportion of men and women of deep religious faith who often harbor extreme views on a host of the Religious Right's favorite subjects: abortion, gay rights, the dangers of secularism, and others.

AHA executive director Tony Hileman said, "The contents of this report should concern all supporters of our Constitution, even the most religious, but we are releasing this today because Humanists are being excluded from full participation in democracy."

This new report can be read in full at the AHA site or print copies can be ordered from the AHA national offices.