Renaissance!

The Troglodyte is back!

He's returned from his long hiatus and better than ever!

Among his current musings:

A round-up on ESCR developments.

A comparison of Reasonable and Foolish media assessments of Pope Benedict XVI's "rookie year."

An analysis of recent straw pols on Iran and '08:

Early (pre-primary and primary) polls are about ideas, be they about personality/image, or issues. If people can say with a straight face that Bill Clinton was the first black president, then it is quite reasonable to say that George W. Bush is the most Catholic president, needing only to cite his ability to mobilize actively practicing Catholics away from the Democratic party. Looking at the early snapshot of the Catholic-tagged vote here shows that the common idea among the three poll leaders, however, is one of the president's traits that is not derived distinctively of Catholicity, i.e., "decisiveness," rather than doctrinally-aligned positions. This could be problematic. It will not be a question of opting for a Democrat, but whether to stay home. The three leaders also share a common loose thread that the Dictator of Relativism himself won't hesitate to pull, embryonic stem cell research. There is an hierarchy of Truth. It cannot be comparmentalized, nor can it be ignored, without things going badly--that's the funny thing about natural law. And clarity on this is at the heart of the Catholic's affinity for the president. Also, consider, when it comes to national security and prosecuting GWOT, how much real difference will there be among the three poll leaders and, for example, Brownback, Huckabee, or Santorum?

Call me a "nutter" if you like, but here's the long and the short of it: If the nominee and the Republican party's center-right heart are not aligned on the Church's five doctrinal non-negotiables, it may prove tough to keep a Democrat out of the White House in '08, no matter how dysfunctional that party is.

He nails the electoral scenario for '08 perfectly! Many social conservatives have grumbled since the Republican-led congress caved on the Presidents Federal Judiciary nominations. Then came the bloated budget. Then, the Katrina debacle. Harriet Miers. Dubai. Now, immigration reform. The short story is that the GOP can't afford to alienate their conservative base any further.

That means they must take the social conservatives seriously. All of them.

The pro-life wing of the social conservatives, particularly those Catholics and non-Catholic Christians that stand with the Church on the "five doctrinal non-negotiables," will stay home in '08 if the Republicans nominate a pro-abort for president. They would rather send a message to the Republicans to take life seriously than stay on the reservation just because the other party's worse. Without them, the Republicans will not win the White House.

Moloch and his agents have no trouble whispering across the aisle in private. Pro-lifers will make the GOP pay if they listen and heed the butchers of children. As they should.

The Trog has loads more good stuff. Check him out!