When will the unholy alliance between the Bushes and Reverend Sun Myung Moon become a full-fledged scandal? Why aren't supporters of the religious right aware of Moon's pervasive influence over so many of their leaders and organizations?  Here is the latest by Moon Watcher John Gorenfeld:

This wintry season, as the faithful continue to receive alarming reports from the news that Republicans are all that stand between them and the outlawing of Christmas itself by hordes of secular humanists, the two presidents Bush have endorsed a powerful conservative interest group specializing in removing the cross -- not from schools or courthouses, but from churches.

Rather than the traditional egg hunt, this group, calling itself the American Clergy Leadership Conference, sponsored a nationwide "Tear Down The Cross" day for Easter, 2003. Last week, leaders in this radical cause presided over a Washington prayer breakfast featuring messages of thanks from the presidents. Former Senator Bob Dole came in person.

...This, movement leaders said, cleared the way for a new age and second messiah.

Speaking of messiahs, make a quick stop at the web site of the ACLC, and it's clear there's more to it than the "rapidly growing movement of clergy committed to the endeavor of making this nation the best that it can be," as the ACLC described itself in a December 8 Washington Times op-ed. It's actually a vehicle for Sun Myung Moon, the billionaire conservative donor who calls himself the True Father.

[...]

In Moon's teachings, God himself is shedding tears over mankind's obsession with the cross, which prevents us from recognizing the real "returning lord": Moon himself. It's no secret. This is something he's patiently explained to many audiences of Congressmen and former Republican presidents over the years, in Washington pageants that hardly ever make the news.

[...]

Moon preaches that Jesus failed to start a family, which is why God is "confined," as he said Tuesday -- grieved by his son's having blown it for mankind, with the Nazi Holocaust a punishment for the Jews' failure to unite behind the King of the Jews.

[...]

Bush [Sr.] is estimated to have received upwards of $1 million for these appearances. Moon also gave $1 million to Bush's presidential library. And when Bush was Vice President, it was a generous check from Moon that opened Oliver North's Contra Freedom Fund. [A former member of Moon's empire told Robert Parry that $10 million had been earmarked for George Sr. and Barbara. See "The Dark Side of the Moon" series at ConsortiumNews.com]

But Washington conservatives are most thankful to Moon for lavishing more than $2 billion on the money-losing Washington Times. The paper was an important building block in the construction of an alternative, Republican media machine as we know it today. But many conservatives were quietly uneasy -- fretting that a pact was being made with the devil.

Well, that's just for starters! There is so much to read in this article. If you want to learn more, visit Gorenfeld's blog

I especially like what Gorenfeld writes about Washington Times "crack"-ed reporter Bill Gertz -- a certifiable Moonie.

Bill Gertz, Washington Times reporter and devout member of the Unification Church, has recently drawn an awful lot of attention for stories no one but the Times will print: stories about Chechen terrorists sneaking across the Rio Grande, Russians pilfering the missing Iraqi explosives, and other marvels. Says Joshua Marshall: "You can't make this stuff up. Or, I guess, actually you can."

For more info, you can see a Berkeley archive of an old website I did about Moon, the Bushes and the structure of the Right here. (After clicking, you may also want to scroll just above this section to read about the "Council on National Policy")

While there are a few Democratic Congressman that suck up to Moon, clearly he has found a home in the Republican Party. Even more than the investment by Richard Mellon Scaife and the Coors, Moon's billions have been essential for building the Right's propaganda machine.