Ed Howard, Statehouse correspondent

    When he said he was making a run for the U.S. Senate, Republican Jon Bruning took a page, or at least a phrase, that has echoed often from the mouths of those within the major league political congregation since the 9/11 attacks.
      "God bless Nebraska and God bless America," said the two-term attorney general.
     Asking the Almighty to bestow his blessing upon the United States became boilerplate language for candidates looking to the White House, as well as congressional and Senate seeks.
     Until the terrorist attacks, it wasn't altogether rare for a politician to conclude a speech with "Thank you, and God bless you." Nor was it thought unusual for someone giving a speech to invoke the name of God by way of giving thanks, or in asking for help or strength in the undertaking or completion of a task.
     After 9/11 the "God bless America" signoff became something of a political catchphrase, and some critics began to see its use as at least as political as spiritual.
     It seemed virtually mandatory for many years, and still enjoys exceedingly widespread popularity.
     What is bothersome to many people of faith, and others, is the perception (right or wrong) that invoking God's blessing was viewed by many politicians as the right answer on a religious/political test.
     How many "God bless America" endings do you recall on House, Senate or presidential speeches prior to the terrorist attacks? Going back to 1968, when I began writing about them, very, very few come to mind.
     That a would-be holder of high office believed in God was generally understood, as was the belief that we had God on our side in various endeavors, including the Cold War effort to fight communism.
     Interestingly, John F. Kennedy had to qualify rather than boast of his religious affiliation. Kennedy was a Catholic, something that wasn't a plus in presidential elections of the not-too-distant past.
     "The pope will run the White House!" was the essence of the criticism.
     Kennedy, a Democrat, made a key speech in which he said that his oath to uphold the Constitution would be his foremost commitment as president; that it would always come ahead of the doctrines or positions of his church.
     A decorated veteran of WWII who had a PT boat knocked out from under him by a Japanese ship, Kennedy also used a pinch of family patriotism to turn aside, and perhaps embarrass, the anti-Catholic crowd.
     His brother, Joe, died a hero's death as an Army Air Corps pilot. He was killed when his plane, virtually a flying bomb, exploded during a top-secret mission in the European theater.
     JFK noted that no one asked his brother about his religious affiliation when he volunteered for the mission that took his life.
     Some might also see irony in the fact that Kennedy drew applause as he answered questions at length before the Ministerial Association of Greater Houston (Texas) in 1960, and was peppered with questions about how he saw the relationship between his faith and the presidency.
     The Kennedy comment that drew a sustained ovation:
     "I hope that other countries may some day enjoy the same happy relationship of a separation of church and state, whether they are in Catholic countries or non-Catholic countries. It seems to me that I am the one that is running for the office of the Presidency…and not anyone else."