O'Donnell Asks Where Seperation of Church and State is at in the Constitution

In a debate this morning at Widener University Law School in Delaware, Republican tea bagger candidate for U.S. Senate specifically asked her Democratic opponent where in the Constitution is the separation of church and state.  No joke.

AP reports:

Coons said private and parochial schools are free to teach creationism but that "religious doctrine doesn't belong in our public schools."

"Where in the Constitution is the separation of church and state?" O'Donnell asked him.

When Coons responded that the First Amendment bars Congress from making laws respecting the establishment of religion, O'Donnell asked: "You're telling me that's in the First Amendment?"

The best part is her answer to Coons, "You're telling me that's in the First Amendment?" Yes Ms. O'Donnell the First Amendment specifically forbids the government of the United States from making laws respecting religion.  More specifically it states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The AP story reports that O'Donnell seemed stunned the First Amendment did any such thing.  Along the same topic of Separation of Church and State, O'Donnell responded to Coons by stating, "You've just proved how little you know not just about constitutional law but about the theory of evolution," reports the AP.

What most people don't understand is that as a tea bagger Republican who also professes to be an evangelical Christian, Christine O'Donnell really believes the Founding Fathers were guided by the Hand of God and fully meant for Christianity to be part of government.  They really do not believe a Separation of Church and State exists, or that it does solely because of a Liberal activist interpretation of the Sacred words written by White Men ordained by God to rule us in the 21st century.  That's not a joke.  It's really what they believe and want applied to our government right now.  No, actually, they want to take our government back to that because they believe that's what our founders intended and we have somehow strayed from it.  Strayed from it because of liberalism of course.

*Update:

The O'Donnell Camp responds via spokesperson Matt Moran:

Christine O’Donnell was not questioning the concept of separation of church and state as subsequently established by the courts. She simply made the point that the phrase appears nowhere in the Constitution. It was in fact Chris Coons who demonstrated his Constitutional ignorance when he could not name the five freedoms contained in the First Amendment.”

Clearly the video shows O'Donnell asking Coons where the establishment of the Separation of Church and State exists and when he tells her in the First Amendment she seems shocked.

"You're telling me there's separation of church and state established in the first amendment," are her exact words (6:21).  Nothing about the phrase itself.  Clearly asking where the establishment comes from.  It comes from the First Amendment. Despite her campaign press release, she was questioning the concept.