Mario Cuomo and Doug Kmiec on Meet the Press today, on the Roberts nominee: The link is a transcript of the show.
Rick Garnett has highlights and comments at MOJ
I wish the point had been made that the Church's teaching on abortion -- whatever its merits -- is not merely an "ipsedixitism" (assuming that is a word). Governor Cuomo has said often that he is personally pro-life, and I believe him. But does he really believe -- because he is convinced that abortion is, or can be, the intentional killing of an innocent human being -- that abortion is immoral (it the same way he believes that, say, human chattel slavery is immoral)? Or, is it just that he believes that, as a Catholic, he has do go along, in his personal life, with "what the Pope says"?
Next, I came to think, watching the segment, that the "back story" to the whole Roberts and Catholicism business is the lingering anger of many Catholics over the Kerry and Communion business. That is, Governor Cuomo -- like E.J. Dionne and Michael McGough in their recent op-eds -- seemed in the interview with Russert almost eager for Roberts to say, to the Senate, that he would, although Catholic, comply with his oath to uphold the Constitution, because -- in Cuomo's view -- this will create a "political difficulty" for those Republicans who might have enjoyed it when some bishops were publicly critical of abortion-rights-supporting candidates and politicians.
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