The Pro-Abortion Convention

For lack of anything good to talk about (I had to get myself ready early this morning, so I can't remember what I dreamed about last night), I did watch John McCain and Rudy Giuliani last night on the television. No lover of Kerry myself (note my Nader support a couple posts back), I still find the Republicans' self-righteousness revolting. No, that's not entirely it either. The Republicans, at least in their public face, seem to assume that nobody listening knows anything about global politics. McCain inveighed against those who underestimated Iraq's threat to the world barely minutes after he sang the praises of Pakistan, the one nation we know has sold nuclear technology to Iran and North Korea. And what exactly happened in Spain? An enemy attacked, and they changed their policy towards Iraq. The Republicans call that capitulation to terrorism. What happened in Libya? Iraq got attacked, and Qadhafi changed his policy towards the United States. What do the Republicans call that? Capitulation to terrorism, right? No, they call that good foreign policy. If they're going to act like Don Corleone, I wish they'd at least talk like Don Corleone. For all of Clinton's faults, at least he talked like Don Corleone when he was acting like Don Corleone. No "good versus evil" stuff. No, he told the country that "they" had messed with one of his people, and now he was going to mess their faces up. No crusading facade. No biblical verses. Just "we're going to mess you up." Badda boom badda bing.

Moreover, the Republicans know that the "single issue" voters are too scared to soil their purity by voting for Democrats, so they trot out three heavy-hitting pro-abortion politicians in their first two nights. This is what infuriates me most about national politics--otherwise intelligent people pretending that this or that national party is going to do something about abortion. Of course, the so-called "single issue" crowd voted for Dole ( a pro-abortion Republican) in '96, so I've been suspicious of the self-imposed label for at least eight years. My fear is that persecuting gays is going to become the new "social" issue, freeing the RNC to ignore abortion and become in all respects the party without a conscience.

In personal news, Mary's next doctor's appointment is today. I'm told that this is the "hear the heartbeat" appointment, so that ought to be good. I'm not sure when they're going to need to take my blood, but I hope that my phobia of needles relaxes enough that I don't embarrass myself by puking in their office. But if I do, so it goes.

I'm taking on Analogical Imagination by David Tracy now. His thesis so far is that all theological work is public and that properly describing the public is the first task in understanding what theology itself is in any given era. Sounds solid. As I read more of it, I'll post more of what I learn here.