Not-so-smart Diplomacy on Parade

Not only is the Obama administration having trouble getting anyone to work with Tax Cheat Timmy Geithner over at Treasury, but they are running into problems -- perhaps intentionally -- of appointing an ambassador to the Vatican.

According to Massimo Franco, author of "Parallel Empires," a recently published book on U.S.-Vatican relations, the Obama administration has put forward three candidates for consideration but each of them have been deemed insufficiently pro-life by the Vatican.

One of the few conditions the Vatican places on diplomats accredited to the Holy See is that they hold pro-life views in line with Church teaching.

Franco says the administration is now looking for a professional diplomat rather than a political appointee because finding an authentically pro-life candidate within the Democratic Party is proving impossible. The task is further hampered by the administration’s desire to reward individuals who gave donations to Obama’s campaign.

"Finding an authentically pro-life candidate within the Democratic Party is proving impossible"?

Surely it's not that bad. Or is it the donation thing?

Since the U.S. opened formal diplomatic relations with the Vatican 25 years ago under President Reagan, all ambassadors have been political appointees and pro-life Catholics of varying degrees, even under the Clinton administration.

However, in view of the absence of qualified Catholic candidates, insiders say another option could be for the administration to choose a non-Catholic pro-life candidate rather than a Catholic whose record on pro-life issues is at odds with Church teaching.

To me choosing a non-Catholic, with over 60 million American Catholics, seems a bit silly, even myopic. My guess is that the Obama administration would like to find an excuse to end the 25-year period of diplomatic relations with the Holy See.

My expectations of the Obamatons are getting lower and lower.