I am not a religious man.

I was born a Jew. I was Bar Mitzvahed. I can still manage to fake it reading Hebrew. I know the basic prayers. I go to synagogue, not for religious holidays, but for occasions – Bar and Bat Mitzvahs or weddings of friends and family.

I am, however, culturally a Jew. I enjoy the family get-togethers around the Jewish holidays – I especially like the Passover seder. I am used to the traditional foods – mostly heavy and dark, containing ingredients you could expect to see on the list of “avoids” of today’s various diet crazes. Gefilte fish is the exception. (Not the subject of this column but I await the moment when gefilte fish served with horsradish [white, not beet red] is as common as ahi tuna on the menus of the city’s chichi restaurants.)

But I am a Jew and identify strongly with the suffering and achievements of my ancestors.

I am a political being.

I was born and raised as such. My father, a left-of-center educator, championed the causes of the people. My college experience was with the left-wing, rights groups. I guess I have modified to some degree, but still stand on the far left side of the spectrum.

I have spent some three decades involved – as activist, consultant and commentator – in city politics. While placing the needs of the people of this borough first, I have championed the causes generally considered “liberal” and I’m proud of it – very proud.

Stay with me for another few paragraphs and you’ll see where I’m going.

Last week was Rosh Hashonah – the Jewish New Year – the second most devout holiday for Jews. Reform Jews like me celebrate it on one day: Wednesday evening family dinner, and night prayer in synagogue. Thursday synagogue and Thursday night, you get to eat more of the chicken soup, gefilte fish, brisket, tzimmis, honey and stuff. Conservative and Orthodox Jews repeat the temple and dinner process for a second Rosh Hashonah observance (lasting from Wednesday night thru Friday).

It is the beginning of the most holy 10 days on the Jewish calendar and ends with the holiest of holidays, Yom Kippur.

Last Thursday night, when Jewish families were still celebrating (or observing depending upon the degree of devoutness) their New Year, President George Bush decided to address the nation.

It was not an emergency. We all knew basically what he was going to say – we knew it before General Petraeus gave his report to Congress. The President’s speech could have been given on any night. Why choose one of the most significant nights for Jews? Wouldn’t the Jewish people want to hear Bush’s address as it relates to Middle East policy? Aren’t Jews also his constituency?

Was the president ignorant of the Jewish holiday – he is the first president since Woodrow Wilson not to have a Jew in his cabinet?

Is he insensitive to people of a faith other than his? This was a man – our president – who when Governor of Texas declared an official “Jesus Day” in his state. The story, told first by this column when he became a presidential candidate, was soon picked up by major media outlets and the mention of Jesus Day disappeared from the Texas State Web site. We share with you elsewhere on this page the Web shot we took before they eradicated the day from the official Texas calendar.

Or is he just plain stupid to choose the day, and does he surround himself with other ignorant or insensitive and/or stupid people?

Perhaps the previous question is unfair. Sorry, Mr. President.

But I just don’t get it. I am not a religious man but I was outraged when I heard it and remain outraged.

It is bad enough that here we are almost a year after the people of our nation made their position on the President’s war known, and if we wait another nine months, he’ll bring us back to the pre-surge level or something like that. Bullshit!

And the Democrats – my friends – have likewise failed us. We gave them Congress back and they have failed to hear our will. They are more concerned with “what if” scenarios and the impact at the ballot box than they are at extricating us from this god-awful war.

So no, this is not a partisan presentation – both parties have failed the people. This is a simple commentary on the President of the United States and the presentation of another case in which he is just blind to doing what’s right.

God bless the United States of America.

Michael Schenkler can be reached via this contact form.