Political Career Elegy

You thought that Trumpian attacks on the Pope would be a bridge too far for the sycophants who have sold their souls? Have you learned nothing over the years? NYT (Gift Article): Vance Says the Pope Should Be More Careful When Talking About Theology. “In the same way that it’s important for the vice president of the United States to be careful when I talk about matters of public policy, I think it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.” Mike Johnson has joined the papal critique. “‘I was taken a little bit aback, just honestly, frankly, by something that he said, I think he said several days back, something about ‘those who engage in war, Jesus doesn’t hear their prayers’ or something’ … Johnson went on to preach against the highest Catholic’s teachings, claiming that it’s a ‘very well settled matter of Christian theology’ that war is sometimes justified, and invoking the ‘just war’ doctrine within military ethics.” Look, I’m more of a Moses man myself, so if these guys want to argue with the Pope about how Jesus feels about war, I’m going to stay out of it. But it does seem notable that the Trump cultists are now telling the Pope he’s wrong about religion. (If Jesus is really in favor of this war, maybe he can offer a strategy to win it.)

+ Here’s one factor that makes it a little harder to argue that the war on Iran is doing god’s work. WSJ (Gift Article): Iran’s Regime Has Changed—for the Worse. “On March 13, a massive billboard appeared in Tehran’s Enqelab Square. It showed Iran’s newly selected supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, standing in a trench and instructing commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to fire missiles at their enemies. The text suggested the mission is divinely inspired, comparing Khamenei to Imam Ali, a revered Muslim figure known for his legendary victory over Jewish tribes. For opponents of Iran’s regime, the image is the visual representation of their worst nightmare: a militarized Iran ruled by a younger, hard-line leader where the Revolutionary Guard plays an even more dominant role.” (Leaders who believe they are divinely commissioned to violently suppress their own people and wantonly attack other countries? If nothing else, Trump, Vance, and Johnson should be able to find some common ground with these folks.) Here’s the latest on the Strait, the blockade, and continuing talks from NBC and BBC.