Prophets and Priests

In Coles’ discussion of civil religion, she distinguishes between Bush’s priestly style and Clinton’s more prophetic style.  However, the short note on George W. Bush after September 11 left me wondering.  Coles seems to attribute the differences between Clinton and Bush to personal differences.  However, are there some cases in which the situation, rather than personal style, dictates the mode of civil religion that the president must employ?  For example, indulging in a counterfactual, if Clinton had been president on 9/11, would he have had to adopt a more priestly style?  It’s difficult to imagine a president using a strong prophetic voice at such a moment.  And, if that’s the case, how can we understand the relationship between civil religion and American foreign policy?