The God-fearing media.(Beat the Press)

"Do most Americans realize just how fervent the President's evangelical faith is?"

So asks the New York Times' Alessandra Stanley, in her review of the PBS "Frontline" documentary, "The Jesus Factor," which examines the role of faith in George W. Bush's life and Presidency. Stanley believes that Americans would be distressed to know that Bush engages in such outlandish behavior as daily Bible-reading, prayer, and allowing his spiritual life to inform his political one. After all, she is.

Among members of the establishment media, Stanley is not alone. In its review, the Los Angeles Times describes the President as possessed by "a fervor that might take everyone, even [Bush's parents] by surprise." The New York Daily News calls "Jesus Factor" filmmaker Raney Aronson "impressively open-minded and objective," but concludes that, "based on the evidence presented, the same cannot be said of President Bush."

It's hard to imagine similar treatment of other major politicians. No one would ever suggest that Joe Lieberman is, well, too Jewish for the Presidency. Nor did the press ever much fret that being Baptist might have rendered Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton immune to critical thinking. The media typically portray Senator John Kerry's heterodox brand of Catholicism as a badge of honor.

But Bush is different--a devout, observant, conservative believer. As far as the establishment media are concerned, he might just as well be from Mars.

Still, "The Jesus Factor" goes to great lengths to portray Bush's faith evenhandedly. It is not the documentary that speaks ominously of Bush's "fervor," but its reviewers. Why could that be?

Well, consider what Aronson said, in an NPR interview, about people's responses to an anecdote in her film: "Secular people, when they heard that the President felt called to run for the Presidency by God, felt very alarmed. What I found on the religious side was, well, they weren't alarmed at all. In fact, they were comforted by this idea."