Um Obama? When did the GOP ever own faith and values?

I’m scanning headlines on my Google Home page and I see this headline: Obama: GOP doesn't own faith and values:

GREENVILLE, South Carolina (CNN) — After speaking to an evangelical church on Sunday in this traditionally conservative South Carolina city, Sen. Barack Obama said that Republicans no longer have a firm grip on religion in political discourse.

Now I am a big fan of Senator Obama’s, but my knee-jerk reaction to this headline was revulsion. If I could have just a few minutes of face time with the good Senator, I’d say this:

Where have you been these past 6 ½ years Senator Obama? When has the GOP ever owned faith and values? On just about a daily basis, the Republican Party proved to the American people that they have NEVER owned faith and values, nor, quite frankly, showed any sign that they even had the vaguest idea what faith and values were beyond convenient buzz words to rally the religious kooks within their base. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that if anything, the Republican Party has done irreparable damage to both concepts. I know many people, who like myself, reflexively cringe and swallow hard to keep the bile from coming up and burning their throats each time a GOP blowhard utters anything about faith and values.

It’s time to stop being so meek on this. These guys have never ever owned the moral high ground and it’s time to stop pretending they ever did.