An Obama campaign official said President
Obama personally requested that "God" be put back into the platform. "Why did they change that?" Obama said, according to the official, when he heard the word had been removed.
Today's platform changes restore the language that was used in the Democratic Party's 2008 platform, which uses the word "God" in this context:
"
We need a government that stands up for the hopes, values and interests of working people, and gives everyone willing to work hard the chance to make the most of their God-given potential."
A Democratic Party official said in a statement that the party made the changes to "to maintain consistency with the personal views expressed by the president and in the Democratic Party platform in 2008." A senior administration official the controversy an "unforced error" and expressed bewilderment that anyone thought the party platform needed to represent official White House negotiating policy.
Democrats Rapidly Revise Platform to Include "God" - ABC News