The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

(Page 2 of 2)

p> HIS HOLINESS br> So much for Kerry Catholicism. On Sunday, John Kerry showed up for the 10:30 Mass at Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church at 10:41 a.m. (The church had roped off two pews for the VIP.) Adding further insult, Kerry arrived noisily, fully outfitted for skiing, not dressed for a religious service. Compounding the insult -- this time to all Catholics in good standings -- Kerry received the sacrament of Holy Eucharist, even though he's not considered to be a Catholic in good standing. /p>

"It was just a media-op," says a Kerry advance staffer. "We set it up with some reporters that we knew were going to be there."

Kerry, who claims to be a practicing Roman Catholic (though lately he's been playing up his partial Jewishness), has consistently voted in support of abortion as both a state politician in Massachusetts and in his time in Washington. He has also spoken in support of euthanasia. He has stated that he disagrees with the Catholic position in both areas.

Under church law, Kerry's very public support of abortion disqualifies him from the sacraments. He is not known to be a regular Mass attendee. In fact, some Roman Catholics in Boston have in the past pressed for the bishops there to excommunicate Kerry for his refusal to accept Catholic doctrine and canon law.

Sen. Tom Daschle is finding himself in a similar position in South Dakota, where the bishop there has been rumored for months to be mulling excommunicating Daschle for his liberal positions on abortion.

p> DEMOCRAT THIRD WAY br> How desperate are Democrats around the country to win in 2004? Some state parties are actually trying to water down the competition by creating phony third parties. /p>

In Colorado, for example, a longtime Democratic political consultant appears to be funding a drive to create a "Pro Life Party" and the "Gun Owners' Rights Party" through petition drives.

Both pro-lifers and gun owners are extremely influential in the Republican Party. "It's an old trick that isn't used very much," says a longtime GOP consultant. "Everyone out there in Colorado thinks this is going to be a tight race. These parties, had they had candidates might have peeled off GOP support."

The Democratic consultant worked for Rutt Bridges, a wealthy Democrat who was until recently the national party's choice to run for Senate. It is not known if the national party or the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee was aware of the Colorado stunt.

topics:
Bill Clinton, Catholicism, Abortion, Law, NATO