Semper Ubi Sub Ubi

Just to keep everyone abreast of the religious positions of our fearless leader…

From Al Kamen’s column in the Washington Post:

From Here to Obscurity

Question of the week. During Monday's news briefing, Scott McClellan engaged in some spirited jousting with a reporter over how President Bush squares his espousal of a "culture of life" with his modern-day, record-breaking application of the death penalty in Texas.

Then he called on Baltimore radio personality and former Episcopal priest Lester Kinsolving for a question.

"The New York Times reports a Supreme Court case involving Oregon's assisted suicide law," Kinsolving said, "which the Bush administration wants to prosecute doctors who administer lethal doses of federally controlled drugs. And my first question, is the president, as a devout Christian, aware of early church father Lactantius, the tutor of Emperor Constantine's son, and his justifying suicide for impending torture, or St. Jerome's justifying suicide in defense of chastity, and in 16th century Britain, the use by priestly permission of the holy stone?"

"You lost me at [the beginning], Les," McClellan said amid the laughter. "The president and I have not had that discussion."

"Follow-up?" Kinsolving asked.

"Okay, follow up," McClellan said.

"Is the president aware of the years of acute agony preceding the death of cathedral dean, journalist and 'Gulliver's Travels' author Jonathan Swift?"

"I will take your question," McClellan said, meaning he'd look into it. "If there's more to say on it, I'll get back to you. I don't think we -- we haven't discussed that one, either."


[And while I’m in a semi-liturgical/Latin mood, I could have sworn the other night in a bar, when I asked a guy if I could take his table as he was leaving, he said, “Carpe tavola.” Nice.]