Meanwhile, Professor Turley, in his post about the Pope’s deliberately crossing a very bright, thick, metaphorical line seems to think the whole thing is funny. He writes in part,

“It strikes me as odd that a person can lead another country and still vote in U.S. elections. With all of those worried about Russian interference in elections, imagine if Putin could actually vote in U.S. elections….Under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), military personnel and citizens abroad are allowed to vote in U.S. elections. It is no longer considered an absentee vote requiring an excuse but simply a mail-in ballot. The question is whether this right should be suspended when you assume a position in a foreign nation, let alone the head of such a nation. Dual citizenship has long been debated over the difficult questions raised by nations with opposing values and interests. However, being the head of a foreign government with potentially opposing interests and actions to the United States creates a curious status. It turns out that when Gov. Pritzker met with the Pope last year, he was actually meeting with a constituent and voter.”

Odd! Curious! Later in the article he describes the failure of the Vatican to have a prohibition against a Pope acting like a US citizen as “fascinating,” and “uncomfortable.” No, you academic weenie, the word you’re searching for is “wrong.” Turley introduces the topic with jokey references to the Pope being a White Sox fan while Turley, a native Chicagoan, roots for the Cubs. Then, after the Catholic pundit tells us how “beloved” Leo is (if you’re beloved, see, you get to misbehave: See Rationalization #11, “The Pope’s …sorry, King’s Pass”) Turley closes with a lame tongue-in-cheek exit line,

“At the risk of my own excommunication, it seems a worthy question for discussion, even though I doubt any politicians would relish such a debate. For his part, Pope Leo stated before the Villanova-Notre Dame game that the Pope will not take sides in the U.S. elections, but Robert Prevost will.”

Ha Ha! Bite me, Professor. This Pope has chosen to meddle in U.S. politics before, and now he’s voting. It’s not funny.

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Pointer: Old Bill