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Born at the Crest of the Empire

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Picture of the Day


With all the talk of torture......

(President George W. Bush listens to Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican June 13, 2008. (REUTERS/Jason Reed))

posted by mikevotes at 8:24 AM

10 Comments:

  • Hopefully, B16 took the time to hear Bush's confession.

    By Blogger Patrick, at 8:35 AM  

  • You think he has that much lifespan left?

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 10:54 AM  

  • I dunno.... the picture is kinda creepy to me.

    I don't mean to sound anti-Catholic, but these are probably two of the most powerful and/or influential men on the planet who are at the same time perhaps the most disassociated from the daily ordeals of the average man, woman and family.

    By Blogger -epm, at 12:14 PM  

  • You could say the same about pretty much any senior politician or business leader. Recently Obama told a group of blue-collar factory workers about the price of arugula at Whole Foods Market. Talk about disassociated!

    The Pope has very little power but enormous influence. On Easter Sunday of this year he used his homily to firmly insist, in English, that the killing stop in Iraq. So he's hardly Bush's buddy. They are allies on certain issues like abortion, and appear to get along on a personal level. I think that is probably where it ends.

    By Blogger Patrick, at 12:59 PM  

  • EPM, Pope Joey Ratz has never looked holy to me. To me, he's always had this weird evil shadow about him. It's just me.

    ....

    Patrick, That dichotomy of of the Pope against the war, against US "human rights abuses" but still posing cheerily for pictures with the man behind it all has always struck me as odd.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 1:12 PM  

  • *sigh*

    According to "the Google," Obama mentioned the price of arugula during a stop at an Iowa farm, not at some industrial blue-collar factory. And it was last summer, not "recently."

    No, I don't think my comment would necessarily apply to all senior state leaders.

    By Blogger -epm, at 2:55 PM  

  • OK, sorry for my mistake about the arugula. My point stands, though. The picture of these two together is odd only in the superficial media-driven atmosphere Mike wrote about yesterday.

    Look, it's not hard to find pictures of Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and numerous other top Democrats smiling and laughing with Bush. Does that mean they are really partners in some secret conspiracy? Of course not. It means they are politicians, doing what is normal.

    This is simply how politics and diplomacy work. Leaders who have major disagreements about important things regularly meet, talk, exchange social pleasantries, and try to change each other's minds. The fact that two people have a photo taken together tells us very little about what they really think about each other or what their policy goals are.

    We criticize Bush for refusing to talk to Ahmadinijad to try to work out our differences with Iran. Ditto Castro/Cuba. So why is it so terrible for the Pope to meet with Bush? It doesn't mean they are best friends. It doesn't mean they agree about everything. It means they are talking. That's all.

    Is it better to give someone a cold shoulder, or to talk with them and try to resolve your disagreements peacefully and civilly?

    Incidentally, prior to becoming Pope in 2005, Cardinal Ratzinger lived alone with his cats in a small apartment in Rome. He walked to work at the Vatican every day. I'm pretty sure he remembers being a regular citizen far better than Bush does.

    By Blogger Patrick, at 3:18 PM  

  • How about that -- two guys with a common interest in torture? Perhaps they're comparing notes.

    By Blogger r8r, at 3:35 PM  

  • Patrick, yes, of course they can meet, politicians frequently do.

    But the pope isn't just a politician, maybe he, you know, might be held to a higher ethical standard, and the joshing and backslapping seems a little much.

    I don't really want to argue about this. This means nothing to me, so, I'm going to let it go here.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 3:53 PM  

  • Pope:"God, to my left, three feet, with that lightning bolt.."
    Bush:"Derhuh heh heh."

    By Blogger Lew Scannon, at 9:14 PM  

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