Battleland

Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition

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Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call

Rep. Todd Akin, a six-term lawmaker, is seeking the Senate seat now held by Democrat Claire McCaskill

Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., has started beginning his meetings of the House Armed Services Committee’s seapower and projection forces subcommittee with a prayer, Congressional Quarterly reports.

Sure enough, a quick check of the transcripts – not that Battleland would ever doubt CQ — turns up a recent pair.

On March 29, he began a hearing on ship-building thusly:

The hearing will come to order. Heavenly Father, we just thank you again for the freedom we enjoy and for the people who have sacrificed for that. We ask your blessing on our deliberations, Help us to be wise. Help us to be good planners and good stewards. And we pray that you’ll help us with the somewhat busy schedule this morning and the votes and all. And I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. Gentlemen, we have got a little bit of a curve ball that’s been handed to us because they’ve got votes on kind of one-hour bases all through the morning…

And on March 7, to begin a hearing on mobility:

Going to bring the hearing to order here. We’re going to have some members showing up in a few minutes and before I read the opening statement, if it’s all right with you, I’ll start with a prayer. Father, we thank you for each day you give us. We thank you for the pretty day outside. We thank you for the many people who serve our country. We ask you please to watch over our words and our thoughts at this time in this hearing. Please watch over the people who serve us overseas and I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Thank you gentlemen. I’d like to welcome everyone here to the first hearing of the second session of the 112th Congress for the Seapower and Project Forces Subcommittee…

“We start Congress with a prayer, and I think it’s a good idea to ask the Lord’s blessing,” Akin, a Presbyterian with a divinity degree, tells CQ’s Megan Scully. “It gives us a sense of being respectful to each other.”

Battleland isn’t so sure citing Jesus for help in building a defense budget is quite what He had in mind.