Howard the Donkey: Democrats Are the Party of the Pope

From the Swamp:

You like the pope? Then you'll love the Democrats.

At least that's what Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean appeared to suggest today, in his party's weekly radio address. The former Vermont governor opened his address this morning with a welcome to Benedict XVI, making his first visit to the United States as pope.

"His visit reminds us of the Catholic values of social justice, working for the common good, and caring for those most in need," Dean says. "These are also the values of the Democratic Party."

In fact, when described more broadly, the pope's values don't line up easily with either of America's major parties. Like most Republicans, he opposes abortion and embryonic stem-cell research; like most Democrats, he's against the war in Iraq and the death penalty.

Those issues make up what Bendict's predecessor, Pope John Paul II, was talking about when he coined "The Culture of Life." President Bush has used the phrase in a narrower sense, focused on abortion and embryos.

Benedict has been careful, visiting Washington and New York during this political season, to avoid even appearing to weigh in on the 2008 election - beyond saying that religious believers should be allowed the freedom to express their faith in public life.

I think both parties are treading on dangerous ground if they wish to claim that God or the Pope sides with them more than the other guys, though certainly no Pope could ever be a Democrat simply because of abortion. There are lots of issues with gray areas, but that one's pretty clear cut.