"I had no strong views about the new pope one way or another, but I'd have voted for him just for the pleasure of seeing him drive the U.S. media bananas."
It doesn't get any better than this. The world media was driven bananas. Gasp - a "Catholic" Pope? How dare they do that in Rome! In these times, having strong views, whether its Cardinal Joseph Ratinzger or Undersecretary John Bolton, is can get one in trouble with elite opinion. The problem is the elite in a democracy prefers not to rock the boat. Its a good thing the Church isn't run on that principle. Above all, what the world needs is not a passionless and tired status quo but shaking up. If Bolton is not confirmed by the Senate, perhaps the good news is there's no case to be made for finding someone who wants to genuinely see the UN work. It will be become even more irrelevant than the Church scorned by the Left.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
They chose a Catholic Pope? What, did they run out of candidates from the ACLU? I find it hard to believe.
True - but only if those views clash with the so-called "elite opinion". Strong, even radical views are fine if they are politically correct (see Gay Marriage).