Posted on 09/20/2006 7:22:53 PM PDT by presidio9
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, longtime foes in American politics, forcefully defended Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday against a wave of Muslim criticism over a speech last week.
When asked about the controversy prior to her speech at an American Cancer Society event, Clinton, D-N.Y., said the pope's follow-up statement should have been enough to settle the matter.
"It's just outrageous and offensive that people would be threatening violence against him based on what he said, especially when there is so much they should be working on together," Clinton said.
The former first lady has a huge lead in her Senate re-election bid this year. Her opponent, Republican John Spencer, had criticized her Tuesday for not speaking out in the pope's defense.
After appearing onstage with Clinton at the cancer event, Gingrich was even more outspoken about the religious tension.
"I think what he said in his entire speech ... is that Islam has to come to grips with having a genuine dialogue of mutual respect," said Gingrich, a Georgia Republican when he was in the House. "Everything you've seen of the viciousness and the evil that has been said since then by fanatics reinforces the pope's speech."
Both Clinton and Gingrich, who as House speaker sparred for years with President Clinton, are considered potential presidential candidates in 2008.
Benedict angered much of the Muslim world with a speech that cited a Medieval text that characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith." He later said he was "deeply sorry" if Muslims were offended, but some Muslims demanded a more forceful apology.
The comments led to mass protests in several Muslim countries. In Somalia, a Catholic nun was slain, a shooting that may have been motivated by anger at the pope's remarks.
"I think it's amazing that a 65-year-old nun who's serving as a nurse in Somalia can be killed over words, and people aren't outraged by the vicious barbarians that killed her," Gingrich said.
ping
I guess Hillary wants that Pennsylvania Catholic vote come 2008. Fat chance. As fat as her thighs.
Note how AP declines to capitalize "Pope" in the headline.
No Catholic should be impressed with this obvious political attempt to curry favor.
This Witch will do anything for her personal gain. She should have absolutely no credibility in anything at all.
Panderama.
Polling data and focus groups.
But it's not all bad, and it's rare - politicos going against the New York Times!
Does a Hildabeast crap in the woods?
Actually, as a Catholic I find the opposite to be the case. Hillary is among the most vocally supportive of several political causes that Catholicism directly opposes. I find her political opportunism here almost as insulting as when she laments 9/11. New York's junior Senator attended exactly ONE WTC funeral: That of FDNY chaplain Father Mychal Judge, who the buttsex crowd outted pothumously and tread to claim was the first "gay saint."
Yeah, yeah...I know.
Paying parents to make sure their children get medical checkups.
Newt and Hilary, perfect together. Nanny's forever.
This is too funny. Laura Ingraham was just talking today about how she was surprised that Hillary hadn't come out in support of the Pope to pander to the crowd, then lo! and behold! Her Thighness does just that.
The AP, and the left in general HATES the Catholic Church, because it is the strongest pro-life, pro free choice, pro private charity, and anti homsexuality voice on the planet.
There is good reason to believe that this controversy was manufactured by the AP, the NYT, and the BBC. Muslims do not generally listen to German academic speeches made by Popes.
Ha ha!
I think if you just right pope by itself, not followed by a name, you don't capitalize. Example: "The pope is travelling all week."
Whereas, you would capitalize it if it had his name after pope. Example: Muslims would love to slip Pope Benedict's throat."
Another example would be "The responding unit was Officer Johnson." and "The officer responded to the 911 call."
I reserve the right to be wrong.
You are write.....
If you are referring to a specific pope, as in "The Pope bought a hotdog," the it is a proper noun, and it is Capitalized. If you are talking about about popes in general, "No pope has invoked infallability in the last half century," then you are correct: no capitalization.
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