MH - My Gosh, the Pope is Catholic!

Baddablog has a great take on Lilek's column from yesterday, where some people just can't seem to get over the fact that Benedict actually proposes to defend Catholic teaching:

I’m still astonished that some can see a conservative elevated to the papacy and think: a man of tradition? As Pope? How could this be? As if there this was some golden moment that would usher in the age of married priests who shuttle between blessing third-trimester abortions and giving last rites to someone who’s about to have the chemical pillow put over his face. At the risk of sounding sacreligious: it’s the Catholic Church, for Christ’s sake! You’re not going to get someone who wants to strip off all the Baroque ornamentation of St. Peter’s and replace them with IKEA wine racks, okay?

As I mentioned to Baddabloger at lunch today, it reminds me of the journalists covering Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign in 1964. The conventional wisdom (which was no more right then than it is now) said that Goldwater would have to moderate his stances if he had any hope of winning. Whereupon Goldwater unleashed his famous "extremism in the pursuit of liberty is no vice" line, which prompted one pundit to cry, "My God, he's running as Barry Goldwater!"

As Baddabloger says, "duh!"

By the way - thanks for your kind comments here. You're welcome! :) And you Our World fans, check out Baddabloger - he's smart, funny, and insightful. Encourage him; maybe he'll right more!