I don't know who is worse, GWB or the Pope.

[Raven]

The Medal of Freedom??? Given by one oppresser to another.

"God Bless America" said the Pontiff...which America? The one that we had 60 years ago or the parody of a country that we have now?

So the Pope gives George a slap on the wrist and tells him to behave from now on. He should have refused to see him until our troops are out of Iraq and all the prison abusers have been brought to justice.

No wonder Andy Card looked so pleased sitting there behind George...they conned their way into the Vatican.

Now George is going to try to con his way into the Normandy memorial. He's going to try to con his way into the tired old hearts of WWII vets whose courage George can't begin to understand. He's going to try to pass himself off as a "liberator" and the sad thought that I have today is...

George W. Bush may well get away with it.

[rumguy]

1. Shrub is way, way worse than the Pope

[Don_G]

2. GW Hands Down

[leftofthedial]

3. is there anything more stupid

in all of human endeavor, than organized religion?

if there is it, it probably involves the bushgang.

[Raven]

4. I'm an ex-Catholic and

I only see the Pope and the Vatican now as political entities. From a political perspective, GWB pulled off a political coup, I think, or else this was the Vatican's way of screwing Kerry, yet again.

[PVnRT]

5. GWB by a long shot

The Pope, at least, has stood up for freedom for oppressed people in Central America that our government helped crush, and is adamant against the death penalty.

[stellanoir]

6. dunno. . .

I've had a serious problems with the Vatican since I was a teen.
Was raised protestant though have studied all religions and had a big bad problem with the Catholic traditions since then. Listened to all sorts of clients who had been abused in the early eighties. That was horrible. But in the grander scheme of things, * has done more damage in a shorter amount of time, than anything I've ever witnessed before.

We don't know what the Pope, who I think is semi cool because he was a poet and once upon a time did know love, which is more than I can say for his predecessors, really said to *. I'm glad he's spoken, though most garbled, against the war. I'm furious that the half a million protesters, have barely been mentioned in the mainstream media.

I'm appaulled that 30,000 gendarmes are bothering themselves with *'s protection. When I'm sure they've better things to do.

Why is he so-o-o paranoid. . .?

[LastRobot]

7. at least the Pope

At least the Pope helped Jews hide from Nazis during the holocaust. And he stood up to communists in Poland under extraodinary threats and pressure.

I don't agree with the Pope, esp. on his views about women, but I have respect for what he has done with his life.

What has Bush done other than get drunk a lot and wreck the best country on the planet?

[Gemini Cat]

13. I agree.

I can't imagine bush hiding or helping anyone.
I may not agree with the Pope for a lot of reasons, but he has my respect. That's something bush will never have.

[cliss]

8. Agreed. Bush and the Pope should not be compared.

The Pope is a spiritual leader. He's got plenty of faults, I'll grant you that.

But Bush is a political leader - big difference.

Also, the Pope should have refused to accept the medal. This little trinket is nothing more than a bribe from a criminal government which wants to purchase support for their criminality.

[alcuno]

9. AGAIN with the anit-Catholic/anti-pope "discussion."

Where's the "Who's worse? Jerry Falwell or GWB?" Or how about "Who's worse? Bob Jones or GWB?"

I'm thinking that maybe mom is right. People are just jealous because we have a pope and they don't. It reminds me of all the people who talk badly about Clinton and are dismissed as being jealous. They are.

STOP WITH THE POPE ENVY!

[robbedvoter]

10. Uh, is that better or worse then penis envy?

[Skittles]

11. LOL

we are jealous because we don't have a POPE? Ridiculous.

[alcuno]

18. It could explain the limitless # of anti-Holy Father posts that are made.

Leadership in the Catholic Church, for good or for bad, can be traced back to one little guy in a white hat who goes by the name, "Holy Father." Not only that, but he is chosen by a secret process involving incense AND can turn people in saints.

Sounds like jealousy to me and a clear case of Pope Envy.

[Skittles]

19. the Pope affects the way a big part of the world lives

I'll criticize him if I f***ing feel like it and believe me, that doesn't mean I WANT one.

[alcuno]

21. I've no problem criticizing the pope, but for this? With some, it's envy.

Anyone can get an audience with the Pope. You really think he cares about some stupid medal that that dimwit brought with him?

I couldn't understand a word that he was saying to *. How do we know he wasn't performing an exorcism?

[OpSomBlood]

12. Bush makes the Pope seem level-headed and intelligent.

Which is truly sad.

[AntiCoup2K4]

14. While I don't let JP off the hook for the failures of the Catholic Church.

...i.e. priests fucking children and their apparent one sided view of what "pro life" means, I'm not going to complain about the Pope saying "God Bless America".

Maybe he meant exactly that? God, Bless America, and remove this butcher of an Antichrist before it's too late for America to recover.

We know he opposed the invasion. We know he's called Junior the Antichrist before. Maybe John Paul meant it as a literal prayer, not as a repitition of Freepriotic jingoistic bullshit.

[Malva Zebrina]

15. George W. Bush may well get away with it.

I agree with this. There is NO ONE with the clout to prevent this total PR effort on the part of Bush. It is so frustrating to watch it and to see these headlines every twenty minutes on the Yahoo news, that virtually praise Bush. Indeed, he has pre-empted the Pope and the Pope is as impotent as all of our people in Congress, including Kerry. NO ONE. Further, no one seems to care if they prevent it or not. They will simply allow Bush to get away with it.

This despicable photo op, showing him and his balloon assed, dumb, frump o lump, wife assuming visual postions of authority over this elderly spiritual leader, and that capitalizes on the dead of WW II so that a stupid evil man can get elected, is indeed, sad.

This is very very sad.

[robbedvoter]

16. Except WaPo, Boston Globe had this on page one:

http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/images/I17369-2004Jun05L

[buycitgo]

17. was looking for better one, but this can do for now; from last visit

[pinniped]

20. I luv it!

n/t

[delete_bush]

22. I think the first time the Pope

heard the story of the Very Hungry Caterpillar it was read to him in a much better fashion by a third grader.

[Malva Zebrina]

23. Yeah and the fat baloon assed Stepford play acting first lady

puts on the "constipated concerned" look as if the entire fifteen minute photo op was so very serious that all the American players on the stage were prompted and rehearsed to look as though they were constipated, bound up and really really concerned over the aging Pope's senile declarations.

This photo, with a dumb and shallow woman who never did a thing in her life but birth Bush twins, pretending to be the all knowing comforter of this aged and ailing spiritual leader is the height of arrogance. But she is willing to be arrogant, not even realizing what that means so stupid is she.