Benedict and Bush were made for each other. Bush's big applause lines at his welcome ceremony were repetitions of Benedict's pro-life codephrases -- "pro-life" meaning, for Bush and the applauders, abortion and not Iraq.
And Benedict said nothing that challenged Bush, since Bush will just claim that he's relying on volunteerism or otherwise already taking action to meet all the goals of caring for the less fortunate that Benedict set out. Encompassing invading armies in the case of helping the designated less fortunate in Iraq. And all this on the day when the Supreme Court was deciding that a 3-drug cocktail is an acceptable way to kill people -- the Court including Bush's two Catholic appointees.
One impression from the crowd along the Popemobile route -- who knew that celebrating his presence could involve so much tambourine?
UPDATE: Here's a sophisticated examination of the differences in the notion of freedom as a gift from God between Bush and Benedict. But note that Benedict never challenged Bush's narrow interpretation of the "gift". The marriage of convenience.
Photo: White House/Eric Draper
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