Pope Bill I

That's what James Kushiner at Mere Comments calls Bill Moyers, the man whom PBS made rich. Moyers blessedly retired from his own show on PBS back in December. At that time, I wrote about him and linked to several nice pieces that took an unsentimental look at the king of sentimental pseudo-journalism. Here's a taste of what James Kushiner wrote about him today:

Just in case you missed it, and are like more than a few people concerned or interested in the future of the Roman Catholic Church, Bill Moyers on PBS last night provided viewers with a sure-fire path to a secure future: married priests and women priests. If both of these things were allowed by the hierarchy, Moyers assured worried Catholics and other viewers, the Catholic Church would become "an unstoppable force."

Unstoppable? I waited for him to go on and say, "As in, like, the gates of hell wouldn't be able to prevail against it." But he didn't. Married priests and women priests (and, one assume, female bishops and--popes!)--these are the keys to the future unstoppable kingdom.

Kushiner also recounts the ahistorical observations of historian James Carroll, who eagerly awaits a Gorbachev to free the Catholic Church. Of course, if such a pope really did emulate Gorbachev's accomplishments, he would destroy the very edifice he set out to save. That's called getting it all wrong in most circles, but since Carroll belongs to the same crowd that celebrated Gorbachev while condemning Reagan, Thatcher, and John Paul II, I hope he'll understand if we refuse to take his advice this time 'round.