I Thought I Was Joking

Hard to know whether asking the Pope to intercede in support of Bush's election is unprecedented. But it appears that asking for help from the Vatican on thorny American political issues was part of the election campaign stratagem for visiting Rome recently.

My sardonic post on the propish Pope was intended as mordant satire as much as anything else. I guess if I want to be accurate I'll have to work harder at underestimating Bush and his motives.

Update: Josh Marshall and Kevin Drum have additional insight. Kevin, in particular, notes that enlisting the Pope in Bush's political campaign is neither new nor random:

These aren't just spontaneous shows of support, they're part of an ongoing and highly professional media campaign to win votes in swing states like Pennsylvania and Michigan. And judging by how the press credulously reports this stuff at face value, it's working.