Democrats Looking for a Showdown With the Bishops

Matthews' behavior is just the worst of what is being directed toward Tobin and the bishops in general by the mainstream media.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Inside Catholic) - From all the various attacks on the Catholic bishops in the past week, including the startling outburst of irrationality from Chris Matthews, I have come to the conclusion the Democrats are itching for a showdown.

Readers should take a look at Bill Donohue's take on the Matthews "interview" with Bishop Tobin. I especially like this comment:

"No non-Catholic would ever treat a bishop this way. But too many liberal Catholics, especially Irish Catholics, think they are exempt from the same standards of civility that apply to others. They are flatly wrong."

Matthews' behavior is just the worst of what is being directed toward Tobin and the bishops in general by the mainstream media.

This concerted attack leads me to view the decision of Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) to reveal the request from Bishop Tobin that he not present himself for communion as calculated and premeditated, rather than spontaneous, as I first thought.

As I explained to Dylan Ratigan on his MSNBC show yesterday, the bishops are huge supporters of the public option aspect of the health care bill, a fact which is being overlooked in the liberal protest against their refusal to acquiese on abortion funding.

The viciousness and pervasiveness of the attack on the Catholic bishops, who are usually looked upon as allies by the political left -- think of immigration and the Iraq War, to take two recent issues -- demonstrates, once again, how much abortion advocacy is a first principle of most leftwing thinking.

I'm sure Bishop Tobin isn't the least bit intimidated by what happened on "Hardball." He is asking himself why he went on the show in the first place, especially if someone on his staff told him it was a good idea.

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