Actually, Freyr, you gave me a bigger problem – to deal with the fact that there might be polytheists who accept YHWH as one of a number of gods (a task that would try the patience of Alex Hergesheimer! ;)).
No, it doesn’t. Matthew 6:5-6 was a condemnation of those who pray so as to draw attention to themselves. As you yourself quoted,
Proclaiming a national day of prayer does no such thing.
So, the House of Representatives isn’t doing this to call attention to themselves? That isn’t the way I see it, but I do tend to look at things from odd angles. While I firmly believe in the power of prayer, I’m very sceptical about what good calling for a national day of prayer and fasting will do other than allowing people to feel smug. Prayer to me is too private, too personal, and too powerful for me to want the government to interfere with it.
CJ
This just in:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s819685.htm
“US soldiers asked to pray for Bush”
(No, this is not an example of post-modernits irony.)
"Thousands of marines have been given a pamphlet called “A Christian’s Duty,” a mini prayer book which includes a tear-out section to be mailed to the White House pledging the soldier who sends it in has been praying for Bush. "
[snip]
"Sunday’s is “Pray that the President and his advisers will seek God and his wisdom daily and not rely on their own understanding”.
Monday’s reads “Pray that the President and his advisers will be strong and courageous to do what is right regardless of critics”. "
Laugh or scream?
Well … I do kinda like the notion that the President and his advisors shouldn’t rely on their own understanding. Their own understanding sure hasn’t done us much good so far. 
Well, maybe so, but I asked for God’s advice the other night, on whether or not to raise and then draw for an inside straight, and He was wrong again.
[minor hijack]
Actually, I’ve not known any polytheists who wouldn’t accept the fact that YHWH exists (either as one or a triune god). I think it’s quite acceptable to read both the Torah and NT as one specific god addressing his people and giving them a specific set of rules to live by rather than THE ONE GOD giving one set of rules for all of humanity. This might be a topic for another thread… hrm…
As for our buddy Alex, when he runs out of patience, he’ll cry on Marga’s shoulder for a while. Then he’ll go talk to Katie and Jerry Farnsworth.
[/minor hijack]
—Proclaiming a national day of prayer does no such thing.—
I’d say it does exactly such a thing. In what way is it substantively different from the image of Pharisees going out into public to demonstrate how religious and pious they are to the whole populace (a populace, I remind us all, that can ALREADY not only pray, but even in any sort of grouping they please select special days for prayers all on its own, thank you very much).
I also note that there is such a thing as the Christian Nation movement, of which the President and many conservative members of Congress have been associated with from time to time, whose goal is to break down the separation of church and state, and have the nation officially become a nation won for Christ (meaning that non-secretarian “Judeo”-Christian displays can return to public property, led prayers to schools, and so on. Their proscribed methods are to build up a body of laws and rulings that make this result unavoidable: and winning modern Congressional support for official days of prayer is a pretty big step in making the argument, for instance, that schools should lead children in times of “Judeo”-Christian prayer. If this were just a slippery slope argument, I might dismiss it: but there are people pushing us down that slope, and things like this are big breakthroughs, just as God in the pledge and In God We Trust have been in turn used as legal justifications in arguments for further changes.
God wasn’t wrong, elucidator. Any heathen knows you don’t try to draw to an inside straight. 
What’s the difference between fasting and a hunger strike?
About three weeks, if things go well.
I suspect He was punishing you for not knowing the answer to the question already. You don’t draw to an inside straight, ESPECIALLY after a raise!
Robble robble robble.