There are no slow news days, just bloggers who went to a ballgame and a Catholic Mass broke out.
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Hillary Clinton has finally had her "Dukakis in the Tank" moment. In an effort to contrast herself with the "elitist" remarks of her opponent, the Senator from New York downed a shot and a beer in an Indiana joint called Bronko's. (And you thought Cal Coolidge looked stupid in a headdress!) All that was missing was for the Democtatic hopeful to spit on the floor and bum a Lucky from the barfly on the next stool.
Mrs. Clinton has clearly renewed her citizendship to Fantasy Island. Since the Ohio primary she has:
-famously recounted her harrowing landing in Bosnia in 1996 (foolishly endangering a national treasure like Sinbad).
-claimed credit for helping broker the Good Friday peace accords in Northern Ireland. (No report of any snipers in Belfast).
-professed opposition to NAFTA "all along". (That's all along the Rust Belt.)
-voted for the President's right to declare war in Iraq but opposes the war itself.
-spoken lovingly of the second amendment in spite of a long Clinton history of support for anti gun laws.
This is the kind of campaigning that gets Democrats in trouble every time. Trying to make yourself look like every man, Joe six-pack when you made $109 million since 2000 just makes you appear foolish and insincere. You can campaign as a champion of the working American without trying to convince them that you carry a lunch pail. You wouldn't attempt to court the female vote by wearing a dress. Why lie and exaggerate your experiences? You only come off looking condescending. Wasn't that the charge you leveled at your opponent?
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The Pope is in town. Presumably he'll have more success filling Nationals Park than the home team. Why not? He has a better record.
It's fascinating that American Catholics treat the Pope with such respect and admiration. These are the same faithful who regard religious instructions from the Vatican with a gravity reserved for their mothers' warnings regarding swimming after eating...easily ignored with no apparent consequence. Clearly there is some disconnect between the Pope (a man) and the Papacy (an institution).
Interestingly, this cuts both ways. American Catholics find it convenient to ignore Church doctrine on birth control and divorce but the Vatican has been just as dismissive of the Faithful on the subjects of clerical celibacy and the role of women. The result is a Mexican standoff (with Mexicans taking an increasingly significant role).
Rome produces a steady stream of treatises (titled "bulls" by someone with a sense of humor) decrying "Catholic Relativism". The net message is that Catholic doctrine does not and will not change and Catholics must accept all of the Church's teachings. To ignore one tenant of the Faith is to abdicate your Catholicism. American Catholics yawn and go right back to practicing their own personal brand of worship. I love this country.
Anyway, the fact that American Catholics have reduced the Pope to the same degree of gravitas as Queen Elizabeth II doesn't diminish the splendor of the Papal visit. The level of civility at Yankee Stadium will be elevated to such a degree that you will hardly see any vendors outside the park hawking, "Presbyterians Suck" tee shirts. I only hope that some construction worker didn't bury a Star of David under home plate.
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The American Embassy in Baghdad is nearly ready for occupancy. If America were attempting to present a low key presence in the Middle East, building a structure roughly eight times the size of the Mall of America might not have been the way to go. Nothing says "We're here, to create fear, so get used to it" like an edifice grander that any of Saddam's palaces. On the positive side, the roof is large and flat enough to accommodate several helicopters simultaneously...perfect for the evacuation.
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