Catholics and Orthodox In Eastern Europe Don't Have A Problem With McCain

There seems to be a uptick in articles saying tht McCain has a problem with Catholics. Go see I vote for miniature American flags*

Hmmm, as I commented there (edited to clean up typos)

On the subject of conservative Catholics I must say as a former Huckabee supporter during the primary McCain had no problem with Catholics.

It surely was not showing up in the exit polling data where for the most part McCain was cleaning Huckabee , Romney , and everyone elses clock as to the Catholic vote. Now some Catholic bloggers and In the Weeds Catholic Political conservative types might have a problem with McCain but that does appear to be the main view.

If memory serves me right the only Primary outside Utah and Arkansas where McCain lost the Catholic vote was in Georgia where Romney won it in a three man race. Hey as a Huckabee guy I wished that wasn' t true at the time but one can not really spin it as Mccain has big trouble with Catholics.

I am not saying that there is not a battle for the Catholic vote but forgive me if the ancient history (like just 6 months ago) and poll data seems to be telling a different story.

Likewise Rod Dreher at his post For Catholics, no good choice this fall hit the same argument yesterday. He references the same Commentary by a person with the UK Telegraph.

Rod Starts out:
As regular readers know, I've been particularly affected by John McCain's response to Russia's invasion of Georgia. It has reminded me of how temperamentally eager McCain is to resort to war, and how little the country can afford a Commander in Chief who seems so trigger-happy (this NYT review of McCain's support for war against Iraq, even before the Bush administration started pushing for it, is sobering). I have already ruled out voting for Obama because of his liberal cultural stances, especially on abortion. But I tell you, right now, I cannot see voting for McCain either. I worry a very great deal about where he would take us with regard to war.

Ok full stop. Rod's main problem is right now he is a tad miffed at McCain because of his positon on Georgia. Though no one has explained to me as to Georgia how McCain and Obama differ!! I understand Rod's agenda here. I love Rod but he has been part of the group that plays the Paleo Conservative version of the Race Card. That is if you have concerns that Russia just invaded a country you are called a Russian Phobe, Trigger happy, and someone that would live to return to the excitement of the Cold War. It got tiresome real quick.

As Victor Hansen piece so well put yesterday at Blame everyone - except Russia. Liberals, Some Catholics, various faction of the Conservative movement have been doing this. As To Paleos he states:

The paleoconservatives: Putin is only protecting his rightful national interests in his own back yard, which don't really conflict with ours. You have to admire the old brute for taking care of business. Neocons - and no doubt Israelis in the background - provoked that Georgian loudmouth dandy Saakashvili to stick his head in a noose - so he deserved the hanging he got.

Bottom line: We should cut a deal with our natural ally Putin to keep out of each other's proper sphere of influence - and let each deal as it wishes with these miserable little third-party troublemakers.

I think Michael Totten had a excellent piece yesterday. He is actually there and reporting. He also does not seem to feel the need to see this Crisis through the important lens of 08 Politics and past grudges etc. Which I must say is refreshing.

Read the whole thing at Report from Tbilisi
Fleeing Russian brutality, Georgians look to the West for support

Here are some parts:
Her husband had remained behind and arrived in Tbilisi shortly before I did. “He was trying to keep the house and the fields,” she explained. “Afterward, he wanted to leave, but he was circled by soldiers. It was impossible. He was in the orchards hiding from the Russians in case they lit the house. He was walking and met the Russian soldiers and he made up his mind that he couldn’t stay any more. The Russian soldiers called him and asked where he was going, if he was going to the American side.”

“The Russians said this to him?” I said.
“My husband said he was going to see his family,” she said. “And the Russians said again, ‘Are you going to the American side?’”
“So the Russians view you as the American side, even though there are no Americans here.”
“Yes,” she said. “Because our way is for democracy.”

Senator John McCain may have overstated things a bit when, shortly
after the war started, he said, “We are all Georgians now.” But apparently even rank-and-file Russian soldiers view the Georgians and Americans as allies. Likewise, these simple Georgian country women seem to understand who their friends and enemies are. “I am very thankful to the West,” Maya said as her eyes welled up with tears. “They support us so much. We thought we were alone. I am so thankful for the support we have from the United States and from the West. The support is very important for us.” She tried hard to maintain her dignity and not cry in front of me, a foreign reporter in fresh clothes and carrying an expensive camera. “The West saved the capital. They were moving to Tbilisi. There was one night that was very dangerous. The Russian tanks were very close to the capital. I don’t know what happened, but they moved the tanks back.” And my translator, whose husband works for Georgia’s ministry of foreign affairs, made a similar guess that the West helped save the capital. “The night they came close to Tbilisi,” she said, “Bush and McCain made their strongest speeches yet. The Russians seemed to back down. Bush and McCain have been very good for us.”

Likewise, the women seemed to understand what Russian imperialism has always been about—and not just during the Soviet era. “Why do you think the Russians are doing this in your village?” I said.

Don't expect what is likely a Orthodox Christian Viewpoint of this lady or the any of Tottens writings to make a appearance soon on blogs of the ususal suspect.

Like wise it seems the very Catholic Nation of Poland seems to be having a different view if McCain is good for Catholics or not. I do wonder if the vast number of Polish mMericans and other Catholics from Eastern Europe are thinking the same thing right now.