MSNBC: Arab World Hails Pope

[Mark E. Smith]

April 4, 2005 (Cairo)

Pope's dialogue with the Arab world will be missed - even by extremists.

A political cartoon in Monday's pan-Arab Al Hayat newspaper summed up the sentiment here to the death of Pope John Paul II: a tearful world bade farewell as the pontiff retreated to a starlit heaven.

The pope gained Arab respect through his unprecedented efforts to promote dialogue between the Catholic Church and Muslim leaders, his unfailing support for the rights of the Palestinian people, and his firm stand against the war in Iraq.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7359150/

I'm starting to believe that the reason Rove and the rest of the Little President's handlers are packing Smirk's ass off to Rome is that they fear the kind of dialogue that John Paul's death could set off. If they can keep the focus on the collapse of the Soviet Union and Solidarity, then all will be fine for them. But if the world starts to discuss the Pope's stands against just about everything Bush has done internationally, then things could get dicey.

[HockeyMom]

1. Pope

Preemptive wars are unjust and immoral.

[LSparkle]

2. They're afraid of what leaders would say behind his back

They probably think it'll be harder for them to be critical to his face, but I'll still be curious to see the reception he gets. He looked like Charlie McCarthy during the last audience with John Paul; I can only imagine how stiff and intimidated Bozo will appear this time, surrounded by world leaders and a College of Cardinals that are probably not very supportive of his policies.

[Erika]

3. Pope saw the world as one people

Bush sees the world as "we" and "them".