So when the President of the United States calls a major national newspaper to voice his concern, it's time for the Gore folks to sit up and take notice. And this Al Gore did, firing his campaign chairman and replacing him with former House Democratic whip Tony Coelho, who resigned his seat rather than face an ethics investigation over his involvement with junk bonds. Gore gave Coelho sweeping authority to rebuild his campaign from the ground up, even going so far as to permit Coelho to overrule his own decisions. This is perhaps wise since, just as a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client, a politician managing his own campaign has a loser for a candidate. By turning the reigns over to Coelho, Gore is looking for a way to boost his standing in the polls, which currently has him ten points behind religious-right favorite and Texas Governor George W. Bush.
Believers desiring to preserve the wall between church and state are right to be concerned.
Anytime the government hands out money there are always strings attached. Faith-based organizations accepting state funds will sooner or later be held accountable by the government for how they spend that money. Government regulations and audits would probe deeply into the business of churches, synagogues, and mosques, essentially telling them how to run their ministries. This would entail the government's promotion of a particular religious view, which is prohibited under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. For their part, nonbelievers may find themselves in a situation where they have only a token choice between a faith-based social service and a secular alternative.