Fox News has fixated on the fact that the Democratic platform for 2012 does not mention the word "God," and used a misleading graphic that points out that the Republican platform for 2012 references "God" more often than the Democratic platform has in any of the last four election years. The graphic ignores that in 2000 and 2004, the Democratic platform contained the word "God" more times than the Republican platform in those years; moreover, the 2012 Democratic platform has a section on faith.

Fox has run several segments today highlighting how the word "God" does not appear in the 2012 Democratic platform. In one such segment, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) confronted host Bret Baier over the issue, saying that the network is "harping on a trifle" and presenting the Democrats as "godless people."

In a second Special Report segment, Fox aired the following graphic:

But Fox's data are incomplete: the network did not provide information on the number of times the GOP platform mentioned God in 2000, 2004, or 2008. Here's what an honest chart would look like:

Well look at that. The Democratic platform referenced God more often that the Republican platform in 2000 and 2004. And the 2008 GOP platform only mentioned God twice.

Does this mean that the Democrats of Al Gore and John Kerry's conventions were more God-fearing than the Republicans of George W. Bush's? Does Mitt Romney's convention love God more than the last three GOP conventions combined? Of course not. As Durbin points out, trying to draw conclusions from this exercise is either malicious or deeply stupid.

Indeed, as Fox contributor Juan Williams pointed out shortly after Fox aired their dishonest chart, the 2012 Democratic platform may not mention the word "God," but it devotes significant attention to faith.

The word "God" is notably missing from this year's 40-page document, as David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network first pointed out.

"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," the party's 2008 platform said.

This year, a similar paragraph instead states, "We gather to reclaim the basic bargain that built the largest middle class and the most prosperous nation on Earth -- the simple principle that in America, hard work should pay off, responsibility should be rewarded, and each one of us should be able to go as far as our talent and drive take us."

The Democratic platform honors religious freedom, but given the absence of the "g" word, the manufactured freak-out is now well underway.

It's tempting to delve into an extended explanation of why, for believers, God probably doesn't need perfunctory references in a political party platform, and why this trumped up story is silly, even by 2012 standards, but let's instead consider another tidbit of news.

The United States Constitution -- the foundation of our government, the basis for our laws, and a model for democracies around the globe for generations -- includes no references to God. Literally, not one.

If the Constitution doesn't mention God, I think the political world can probably keep its apoplexy in check over the Democratic platform. Unless Republicans and news organizations are going to start condemning the Constitution, too, demanding an explanation for its secular nature, let's relax a bit.