The Slickster wieghs in

Drudge has the following report: En route to Rome, Clinton told reporters the pope “centralized authority in the papacy again and enforced a very conservative theological doctrine. There will be debates about that. The number of Catholics increased by 250 million on his watch. But the numbers of priests didn't. He's like all of us - he may have a mixed legacy.”

As with everything Clinton says, this statement needs to be parsed or as they say in the bloggesphere fisked.

Let’s work backward. “He's like all of us - he may have a mixed legacy.” Yes JPII is just like the rest of us who have tens of millions show up for our funeral. JPII is exactly like that family member we all recall who had people waiting 24 hours to get inside the funeral home. JPII is exactly like all of us who have expanded our main concern by 300 million. JPII is exactly like Joe next door who helped bring down communism. JPII has had no more influence on the world than my son’s second grade teacher. JPII is just like a former US president who, when he wasn’t abusing the women around him, was lying to a Grand Jury and as a result being impeached and disbarred for five years. The fact is that JPII is not like all of us and certainly nothing like a treasonous (Oh yes he is. Check out campaign contributions from the ChiComms and subsequent rocket technology transfers to China.), raping (Wanita Broderick), felonious (Pick one of about a dozen), draft dodging (Letter to local draft board), lying (Pick one of 1,000,000s), abusive (Broderick, Flowers, Jones, Willy, his own wife, etc. etc) dope smoking (Oops he didn’t inhale - riiiight.), self-centered creep (He wouldn’t be in the news if he weren’t.) like the former president.

Next, “The number of Catholics increased by 250 million on his watch. But the numbers of priests didn't.” The slick one is implying here that had the Pope just abandoned principle and embraced homosexuals, women and married priests he could have expanded the priesthood as well as the total number of Catholics. What the slickster doesn’t get is that one issue might be diametrically opposed to the other. Besides, as stated in the post below, the Pope is not elected to put his finger in the wind and ensure that the church follows an ever indulgent society down every sewer hole of depravity it chooses. Slick Willy cannot comprehend anyone who would place principle ahead of popularity.

Last, “[the pope] centralized authority in the papacy again and enforced a very conservative theological doctrine.” Again the clueless one wouldn’t understand. The Pope’s job is not political. His job is to act as the voice of the church as reflected in the word of God and its catechism. Now, if the slickmiester and others do not believe what is being offered, they are free to ignore it, but hundreds and hundreds of millions of people have heard JPII and 300 million have joined him. That is a tremendously impressive record for a church that the MSM and Libs insist is irrelevant and dying.