As to the Church is paying the price for sleeping with the Devil and they deserve what they get is insane. This is not about Catholics, Pedophile priests and bishops and cardinals that should be in prison. This is about freedom of religion as set forth in the first amendment to the Constitution. Whether you hate the toady attitude of the Catholic Church with the Governments, it does not matter. If you think the Constitution and our single most basic freedom matters, then discussions on how many angels can fit on a pin do not matter.

Second, abortion was banned by the Pius IX in 1869, the same year there was adoption of Papal infallibility on issues of faith and morals. Prior to that time the history was in consistent, but Quickening was often viewed as the point of no return regarding abortion by many people, including Catholics. The idea that the Catholic Church could have had Roe overturned if it fought hard has no foundation. The Church's pact with the Devil was to work with the Governments, mostly state and local, in the delivery of healthcare, initially driven by many hospital refusing to treat Catholics. The Social Justice aspect of Catholicism was driven for the better treatment of Catholics and then for all people. The Church is so in bed withe state that it no longer operates any hospitals in New York City. There is no support for this idea that Catholic Church could have overturned Roe if it wanted to. The Catholic Church could not prevent the State of NY from legalizing abortion in 1970 or liberalizing it law to allow certain abortions prior to Quickening in 1967. In 1970, the Church had far more influence in NY , than it did nationally.

I find Professor Rahe's history lesson far from complete. First, issues of Catholicism and American Politics has to deal with the Irish that came to America and built the Catholic Churches and Schools in America. The relationship of the Papists starting from colonial times through to the start of the 20th Century was not great. On Guy Fawkes Days Churches were burned and destroyed. The Klan started in Indiana to fight Catholicism in America. The Catholic Church had a difficult time in the South with its sole place of worship really being New Orleans and Luisiana, which was more French in focus and influence. Do not forget Smith's loss in '28. Politics increased the influence of the Catholic Church in America because of Irish votes, and critically important for Wilson to go to War was the need for the British to move towards the Irish free state. Add in prohibition being enacted under the banner of Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion there would be few Catholics embracing the Republican party until Roosevelt's excesses that drove a number of Catholics to becoming Republicans after WWII.

Please cancel my subscription, as I have not violated your rules in trying to comment about the terrifying posting of a self- justifying group of what seems to be all men in complete denial. Our liberty rights are being destroyed and you attack the author. You would make Putin proud.

Please cancel my subscription, as I have not violated your rules in trying to comment about the terrifying posting of a self- justifying group of what seems to be all men in complete denial. Our liberty rights are being destroyed and you attack the author. You would make Putin proud.

Obama comes from an Anti-colonist pro-nonaligned Maoist-Stalinist viewpoint and he has more sympathy for the builder of the Wall and those that turned Czechoslovakia into a prison. Havel is nothing more than a Tea Party Terrorist to Obama. Conservatives fail because they see the left as misguided good people. The left are evil authoritarians that love to crush their enemies and the left counts on your misguided sense of good will.

We are not at war with any organization or nation because war was never declared by Congress. It is amazing how alleged Constitutionalists surrender due process and their liberty based upon less than a 1% chance of harm. You can all get your Depends from the Obama state dispensary at anytime you feel brave enough to get out from under your beds. The President does not have the right to summarily execute American Citizens. American Citizens are entitled to due process. If I take up arms against my country, it is called treason. Treason is dealt specifically in the Constitution. It is a crime, whether at war or not at war. To differentiate my rights because of a category of association or alleged association seems that I only have the liberty the President decides I have. To support that view means that you believe that people have no inalienable rights and statists such as Marx, Lenin and Mussolini are your guiding lights.

Besides Huntsman, has any one these candidates spent any significant time outside the US? The answer is no.  If you don't believe we can grow the economy at 5% a year at some point, then we will never pay-off our debt.

Romney is a disaster.  Romney clearly started out as a Consultant and a Process Guy with his 59 Point Plan for the economy.  Campaigns are won and successful governing is about a few key issues.  The same in running an operating companies as opposed to a Consultancy or Private Equity Group.

Cain suffers the Talk Radio effect - no filter between thought and mouth.   Irwin M. Stelzer, A Man with a Plan, Weekly Standard (10/31/2011) at http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/man-plan_598444.html is a must read because it discusses the fact that Cain is "not one of us" and the us being the Republican Establishment.

If the Republicans nominate Romney, there will be a third party candidate that will result in Obama winning and Romney running third.  The Republican party really needs to go away because it still fails to see that its gain in 2010 were solely due to being the other.

The Amazing aspect of Romney's already closing the deal is that he is a sure loser in November of 2012.  It would have been like George H. Bush running against Jimmy Carter in 1980.  Carter gets re-elected.  We also have no Reagan in 2012.

Bain Capital is a private equity investment business.  The classic business that Bain did during Romney's tenure was to buy businesses in trouble and turn them around.  It worked about 45% to 65% of the time during Romney's tenure, depending on what you read.

The first step in any turned around by a company like Bain is to immediately fire people.  Romney's Romney Care and Obama Care are mandatory and force people to buy health insurance.Romney made his money by firing people will be the commercials. 

Romney talks about being the private sector, but never explains what he did specifically.  The other Republicans either have no idea what Bain did or amazingly do not see it as a venerability.  The fact no one sees this or comments on here on Ricochet as a problem is stunning.  Romney is a loser in 2012. 

The theological answer that always made sense to me was based on Free Will. God gave us Free Will and some used it for good and others used it for evil. I was brought to that construct through a book review in the Weekly Standard about the Baatan Death March in November of 2001, after surviving, but having about 658 of my colleagues killed on September11, 2001. Is God suppose to be our Nanny? Inherent in such a construct is that the Kingdom is in Heavan and not on earth. There are many who believe otherwise theologically, including Marx, that the Kingdom of God will be on Earth. That divide creates the need for the Nanny God for many and evil should be gone.

One has to start with the question: Do you believe in a "Living Constitution" or the "Original Intent or Plain Meaning of the Constitution by it's drafters"? Unfortunately, statements along the lines that of "We are at War" are false. Congres has not declared war since December 8th of 1941. That war came to a legal end in September of 1945. If you say, " I am being semantical because Congress Voted to act and that is the same thing!" If that is your answer, then you believe in the philosophy of a Living Constitution followed by Woodrow Wilson, Felix Frakfuter, William Brennan, Ruth Ginsburg, Kagan, and of course of Schumer. The problem with one-sided legal analysis is that it solely self-serving and intellectually bankrupt and legally provides little actual weight or justification. If on the other hand you want to see if the Constitution provides the President with the right and power to murder a citizen based on a secret panel's determination without due process, it does not. Killing citizens that are overseas based on the finding of a secret panel seem much more aligned with Stalin, Mao or Hitler. The key point being missed is US Citizen.

One has to start with the question: Do you believe in a "Living Constitution" or the "Original Intent or Plain Meaning of the Constitution by it's drafters"? Unfortunately, statements along the lines that of "We are at War" are false. Congres has not declared war since December 8th of 1941. That war came to a legal end in September of 1945. If you say, " I am being semantical because Congress Voted to act and that is the same thing!" If that is your answer, then you believe in the philosophy of a Living Constitution followed by Woodrow Wilson, Felix Frakfuter, William Brennan, Ruth Ginsburg, Kagan, and of course of Schumer. The problem with one-sided legal analysis is that it solely self-serving and intellectually bankrupt and legally provides little actual weight or justification. If on the other hand you want to see if the Constitution provides the President with the right and power to murder a citizen based on a secret panel's determination without due process, it does not. Killing citizens that are overseas based on the finding of a secret panel seem much more aligned with Stalin, Mao or Hitler. The key point being missed is US Citizen.

It is the vision thing, as noted by Bush I, that Cain and Paul have. The media ridicules Paul, as do many alleged Conservative Republicans because Paul harkens to the principlesy of America that sees internationalism as dubious and the first interest to consider is what is best for America within a Constitutional structure. Paul terrifies the " betters" in the " we know better class." It includes the Obamas and the Cheneys. The Founders did not provide a President the right to kill citizens without due process in a secret proceeding. There is little difference in that distortion of the Constitution for Presidential Murder, than requiring one to buy health care. Principles matter and Cain has them. Romney will be beaten like a piñata by Obama. Bain Capital followed the Private Equity playbook and reduced headcount as the first step after acquiring a company. "Made his money by firing people" and all attempts to explain will sound like Obama and saving jobs. "Electable" to the professional political class means be " like the last guy that won. " Cain grew business that hired more people. That experience is different than leveraging others' money for its own sake.

It is the vision thing, as noted by Bush I, that Cain and Paul have. The media ridicules Paul, as do many alleged Conservative Republicans because Paul harkens to the principlesy of America that sees internationalism as dubious and the first interest to consider is what is best for America within a Constitutional structure. Paul terrifies the " betters" in the " we know better class." It includes the Obamas and the Cheneys. The Founders did not provide a President the right to kill citizens without due process in a secret proceeding. There is little difference in that distortion of the Constitution for Presidential Murder, than requiring one to buy health care. Principles matter and Cain has them. Romney will be beaten like a piñata by Obama. Bain Capital followed the Private Equity playbook and reduced headcount as the first step after acquiring a company. "Made his money by firing people" and all attempts to explain will sound like Obama and saving jobs. "Electable" to the professional political class means be " like the last guy that won. " Cain grew business that hired more people. That experience is different than leveraging others' money for its own sake.

We forget that we elect many more Van Burens, Harrisons, Carters, Wilsons, Bushes, Hayeses, Buchanans, Kennedys, Clintons, or Hardings, than Washingtons, Madisons, Polks, Lincolns, Clevelands, Roosevelts, Trumans, Eisenhowers or Reagans Conventional wisdom of foreign affairs has generally been terribly wrong. Cain cannot be worse than Obama, and Perry and Romney have little to offer.  One's visions of America in the world is the key baseline. Truman and Reagan seemed fairly sure where America fit positively.  A Cain-Huntsman Ticket would solve that concern. Replacing our first Black President with our Second would probably be a very good thing.  They would be new.  Cutting three trillion over ten years leaves our children, grandchildren and their great-grandchildren with $22Trillion in debt in ten years.  We need growth, more revenue and a reduced Federal Footprint. Perry, Romney, Santorum and the rest do not deal with any thing close to reality on this.  China threatens our three most critical sources of defense technology - Taiwan, South Korea and Japan. North Korea is China's pit bull.  Huntsman has a good understanding of China, which is important with Russia rising.