New Faith-Based Initiatives Report: 'Serving People in Need, Safeguarding Religious Freedom'

I have long supported effective partnerships between government and faith-based organizations. Unfortunately, during the years of the Bush administration these partnerships were often used for political ends. Two former staff members of the Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives -- John DiIulio's letter in Esquire magazine and David Kuo's book, Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction -- provided ample evidence of that.

During this presidential campaign, Barack Obama strongly supported the principle of such partnerships. In a July speech in Zanesville, OH, he said: