[Steve_Seattle]

Correct, Mrs. Don-o, I hinted at it with my comment about Catholic politicians saying, "I'm personally opposed to abortion, but . . .," but you gave the point more emphasis - there's kind of a winking going on between the press and most Catholic politicians, because the press knows the politicians don't believe any of that stuff anyway.

And it's the same with Obama, although he's not a Catholic, he professes to be a Christian but he's never grilled about - or asked to explain his position on - anything in the Bible that offends secular sensibilities.

[Mrs. Don-o]

I don't think the press takes purely theological statements seriously on any level, since to them it's all precisely meaningless. Stephen Colbert, for instance, recited the Nicene Creed on TV

http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/?lnk=v&ml_video=59606&source=OD_VIDEO:playlist:The+De-Deification+of+the+American+Faithscape

---and nobody's going to question him on any part of it, not one phrase of it, not one word, because they see it as meaningless babble.

But don't try to mess with anybody's between-the-legs issues, or they'll shout you down with Anathemas -- and cut off your mike, and maybe more.