Now here's something I can really disagree with: Criticism of the Obama Papal Guest List.

"We need not respond to every 'seeming' outrage ..."

But we just did.

So who should he have invited?

Steven Colbert?  Haha!  Just kidding - can't stand the guy.  What?  He's so not funny.

As it is he will be surrounded by faithful Catholics, so who cares who will be at the White House?

Anyway, Elizabeth Scalia pretty much accuses (soon-to-be-Catholic-convert) President Obama of playing a dirty trick on Pope Francis and inviting Catholic dissenters and other religious riff-raff to the White House to greet the Pope.  "Packing the list with open dissenters to church teaching, though, is a purposeful, planned and deliberate rebuke to the church."

Elizabeth's op-ed calls out Obama and company for courting controversy, suggesting Obama is intent upon riling up Catholic conservatives?  Sounds like it to me:

But the game is not actually about challenging the pope: it’s about keeping the culture wars flaming and political divisions alive; it’s about manipulating the angry right into pitching a fit because the pope didn’t pivot away from Obama’s guests, shouting “Arrepentirse! Repent!”; it’s about cueing the angry left to cry, “Shame! See how these
hateful Christians shove one another!” while the press shuffles forward chanting that Francis is, “one of us; one of us!” - Obama's Game

You think?

Personally, I think Obama and troupe really believe these are people Pope Francis wants to hear from, as well as should hear from.  Obama has many Catholic friends who would have helped out with the guest list - many vying for the first places at table and front row seats in the audience.  Is he really trying to stick it to anyone?  Does it matter?  The Pope is going to be whisked all over the East Coast, meeting lots of people - is it all a set up?  On some level it is - the Pope is going to meet handpicked guests at every event.  It is what it is.   He'll also welcome people who weren't invited, I'm sure.

Did St. Matthew deliberately assemble only prostitutes and tax-collectors and sleazy politicos and sinners to dinner after Christ called him?  (Mt.9:10)  He must have been trying to provoke the Pharisees, huh?  Or did they just show up?

Just having fun here.  Elizabeth was too - I hope.  As she states at the end of her essay:

This manipulation is such a predictable (and really tiresome) game, it’s surprising how few people have fun with it, or simply laugh at it, which — in truth — is always the best response to stage managers and deluded illusionists. - Obama's Game

Bloggers are going to keep repeating stories like this for the next couple of weeks.

What?  She said to have fun with it.

Song for this post here.