Can you imagine the howls of righteous Fox Christian outrage if, say, Nancy Pelosi claimed that evangelical idol Billy Graham was full of crap. But when neo-con idol John Bolton said basically the same thing about Pope Francis, devout Catholic Bill Hemmer didn't even flinch.
While Fox News has staunchly supported the positions of the Catholic Church, the election of Pope Francis, who denounces capitalism and embraces the science of climate change, has put them into a bit of an ideological pickle. Fox's Sean Hannity, raised in a church which taught that the Pope is always right, believes (in conjunction with that exemplary Christian Rush Limbaugh) that the Pope is a Marxist. Devout Catholic Brian Kilmeade recently said that he's over the Pope who "should stay home" cuz he's not right for America. And while he didn't throw any shade on the Pope, devout Catholic bachelor (ladies, he's available) Bill Hemmer didn't seem to mind when former UN ambassador John Bolton did just that!
On Tuesday's America's Newsroom, Bill Hemmer informed us that the Pope's visit will be "a major story." He then quoted the Pope who said that the European refugee crisis is an unfair and unjust socio-economic system (and of course we all know that the current socio-economic system is just wonderful). Hemmer introduced his guest, former UN ambassador John Bolton who was one of the enablers of President George W Bush's not so excellent Iraq adventure. The banner: "Pope Francis Blames Refugee Crisis on God of Money" (and we all know that Jesus said blessed are the wealth makers).
When asked by Hemmer if he agreed with the Pope, Bolton said "absolutely not." He opined that "when respected religious leaders step outside their domain into the political debate, they really risk compromising their moral authority and with all due respect [LOL] to the Pope and I'll try to say this politely, those comments bear no relationship to reality when it comes to the refugee crisis or (he chuckled) I might say the capitalist system." He continued to throw the shade: "If that's what the Pope is going to say when he comes to America, I think the reaction might not be what he would get among the left leaning priesthood in South America."
Hemmer who, like so many Fox hosts, is the product of an intensely Catholic background and who publicly invokes his faith, didn't blink an eye. He asked Bolton if he disagreed with the Pope's comment that the refugee crisis is "the tip of the iceberg." Bolton didn't answer the question but pushed the right wing paranoia about the hordes of terrorists who are hiding among the refugees. Hemmer said "holy cow" and rather than expanding on the Pope's analysis, he validated Bolton in saying that "the impact" of ISIS and Assad need to be considered.
Bolton responded that it was "hard" to understand the Pope because lots of refugees are economic which seemed to be the Pope's point but whatever. After suggesting that the Pope doesn't want "a better life" for the refugees, Bolton, claiming that he was trying to be polite, asserted that the Pope's statement "reflects the confusion in his thinking." In playing the fear of Muslims coming to America card, Hemmer redirected the conversation to the "no small number" of Muslim emigrants already here.
When Cardinal Dolan got into the "political debate" in opposing the ACA's birth control mandate, Fox News advanced his message. But now that Pope Francis is getting political, Fox News infers that he is cra-cra. Different strokes for different popes?!