Tim Tebow, Mr. President

Tim Tebow is on his way to becoming something. The question is whether he's on his way to becoming the next Carrie Prejean -- a fifteen minute blip on the religious right radar screen before spiraling out of control -- or on his way to becoming a much more permanent fixture of the religious right political movement, like a George W. Bush who can throw a football.

If you believe some talking heads, like the Limbaugh and O'Reilly crowd, the feeling is that Tebow is definitely heading for the latter.

Tebow, who just wrapped up his tenure as the starting quarterback of the University of Florida, is going to star in yet one more football game. However, instead of working it on the field, he'll be working it during the commercial breaks. Tim Tebow and his mother are scheduled to appear in an anti-abortion advertisement from Focus on the Family during this year's Super Bowl.

That advertisement has caused uproar from nearly every progressive circle you can imagine. CBS, the network airing the Super Bowl, previously denied attempts to run advocacy advertisements on their network. These were ads from folks like MoveOn, which called for an end to the Iraq War, or ads from folks like the United Church of Christ, which called for an end to discrimination inside church. CBS said these two spots were too controversial; but they've given the green light to Focus, standing by what nearly everyone on the planet admits is a pretty bold-faced double standard.

Folks are still urging CBS to come to their senses and pull the Focus ad -- an ad which may not even be based on factual information.

But the Tebow splash has already been made. The former college quarterback with a penchant for scribbling Bible verses onto his face has become a hero on the right for starring in the ad that's caused all those progressive groups to get upset. And now some are talking about him as if he were the second coming of Ronald Reagan.

John Stemberger, who heads the Florida Family Policy Council, told Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi that Tim Tebow has everything it takes to move up conservative political circles.

"If Tim Tebow wanted to be a political candidate, it's his for the taking," said Stemberger. ""He would be a political rock star. … He's handsome, he's humble and he has character and integrity. … This young man could be the next Ronald Reagan or Jack Kemp if he wanted to be."

Ah, yes, the tradition of football players becoming darlings of the family values crowd dates all the way back to at least the 1970s with Reagan. And with Tebow, you get a homeschooled son of Christian missionaries who during his summer breaks in high school would travel to the Philippines to work in orphanages. Oh, you also get a man who has legislation named after him in at least two states that would give home-schooled kids access to play sports at local high schools.

And you thought that religious conservatives were excited about George W. Bush! Perhaps it's not just coincidence that Tebow starred in a documentary called "Tim Tebow: The Chosen One."

Of course, if Tebow is heading the direction of Reagan or Kemp, he'll need to wait a few more years. As Right Wing Watch notes, a President Tebow wouldn't be constitutionally legal until 2022.

Either way, there's a bit of political manipulation going on here by forces on the right. Bill O'Reilly said that people who oppose Tebow's Super Bowl ad are taking issue with the fact that Tebow wasn't aborted. But that's not really it.

Opposition to the CBS Super Bowl ad has less to do with Tebow's personal beliefs, and a whole lot more to do with CBS treating potential advertisers unfairly. Progressive groups get the cold shoulder, but Focus on the Family, which regularly describes gay people as perverted, gets the green light. Groups that say all people should feel welcome in church get the boot from CBS, but an organization that has called gay people a threat to humanity has the red carpet rolled out for them.

That's the issue, and that's always been the issue.

Photo credit: acgriner