by TChris

War, deficits, public education, national security, and environmental destruction are among the issues that should give politicians a full plate, leaving little time to fret about the inconsequential. And so, naturally enough, some Republicans found time to criticize Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) for omitting the phrase "under God" when he led the Pledge of Allegiance in the House yesterday.

McDermott's people say the omission was inadvertent, that McDermott was merely reciting the pledge in the form that he learned as a child. In an interview last month, however, McDermott suggested that his omission of "under God" when he recites the pledge is a matter of principle.

"I personally don't think it adds anything to the Pledge of Allegiance, and I personally don't say, 'under God,'" McDermott is quoted as saying. "I consider it an infringement that I don't like. I don't like infringements of church and state. And so I don't know that I'm rigid, but I try to be consistent."

Good for McDermott, but he should have the courage to stand behind his belief, even if it affords Republicans an opportunity to avoid more pressing issues while taking shots at him.