The Meeting

A thoughtful piece by George Weigel touching on Friday's meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and President Obama:

Should the president reply (as both his May commencement address at Notre Dame and his July 2 interview with religion reporters suggest he might) that people of good will ought to be able to find "common ground" on reducing the incidence of abortion and providing more effective aid for women in crisis pregnancies, Professor Ratzinger would likely thank Obama for such efforts—and then point out that any "common ground" will become slippery and untenable if it does not rest on the firm foundation of reason and moral principle. That, he might well add, is the lesson to be drawn from the two most impressive moral revolutions of the late 20th century: the American civil-rights movement, and the human-rights revolution that produced the Revolution of 1989 and the demise of European communism.

Another thought: Obama is not at all interested in reducing the number of abortions. How can he be when he promises and attempts to knock down any and all restrictions to abortion? He always offers this "common ground" approach to the pro-life side. It's yet another example of his rhetorical chicanery. When has he ever sought to limit access to abortion?