Starting to smell the coffee: Doug Kmiec writes to Pres. Obama

Richard III to Buckingham:

Because that, like a Jack, thou keep’st the stroke
Betwixt thy begging and my meditation.
I am not in the giving vein to-day.

(Richard III IV,ii)

Dcn. Keith Fournier obtained from former Amb. Doug Kmiec, Kmiec’s letter to Pres. Obama following the President’s recent shameless speech at the National Prayer Breakfast.

Hitherto, catholic Kmiec has been a promoter of Pres. Obama and his agenda on the claim/belief/dillusion that Pres. Obama really wanted “common ground” with Catholics. Kmiec argued that we could and should vote for this incredibly aggressive pro-abortion politician because of his other wonders, all the other “pro-life” things the President would do (other than protect the unborn).

A backdrop to this is what Kmiec wrote in a kind of open letter to Pres. Obama on the site of the Jesuit owned and operated America Magazine. Shameless. Apparently, now that Pres. Obama has again thrown Kmiec catholics under his religious freedom crushing treads, Kmiec is changing his verses.

Also, you will recall that Pres. Obama, “breakfast theologian” (and disciple of Black Liberation Theology) instrumentalized the Lord’s Scripture in a truly gauche plea for higher taxes. HERE.

Here is the text of the letter written by Kmiec to Pres. Obama after the Presidents speech at the National Prayer Breakfast.  My emphases and comments.

The Feast of St. Cornelius
Mr. President Obama,

Thank you for your prayer breakfast remarks this morning. You have always impressed me as a person of sincerity in recognizing the interrelationship between the success of our country and our reliance upon God, informed by the greatest possible freedom for each person to practice their faith and come to understand God in different ways.  [He just can’t stop, can he.]

In deciding against a reasonable accommodation of Catholic concerns in the implementation of the health care program, you lost sight of your own beliefs.  [Or… maybe is he showing them?] For this reason, your words this morning touched neither soul nor heart in the room.

We still want you to succeed Mr. President [In what exactly??] and we are admiring of many things you have accomplished. [Starting with rescinding the Mexico City Policy the day after being inaugurated.] I, for one, would like to extend your opportunity to address significant inequalities and divisions that unnecessarily exist in our country and the larger world.

Yet, this matter goes to the heart of who we are as a people.  [who are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights…] The polite, but tepid applause this morning was a sign of concern [That’s one way to put it.] that you have lost your way on this most essential topic. You have already lost the votes of many individuals who stood as people of independent mind [As opposed to… whom?  People of enslaved mind?] against those who sought to defeat your efforts to promote the common good. [I have this image of a guy on a methadone program trying to break himself of the hard stuff.]

Where is the common good, Sir, in not making room for the great Catholic traditions of education, health care, and meeting the needs of the least among us? Mr. President, I asked you some months ago to explain why you remained silent when our international inter-faith efforts were wrongly assailed. You did not respond.  [Remember in Shakespeare’s Richard III when the men who helped him to the throne came looking for what they were promised?  “I am not in the giving vein today”, quoth Richard.]

Today, Sir, I ask you no longer as an Ambassador, [yah… that’ll move the President to tears…] but simply as a friend, why put the cold calculus of politics above faith and freedom? Please respond, for friendship will not permit me to disregard duty to faith and country. The Barack Obama I knew would never have asked me to make that choice. [Oh what irony drips for me from that last little word.]

In prayer and audacious hope [… it’s just embarrassing, isn’t it…] that we may hear further from you on this,

Douglas Kmiec

Malibu, California

If you are going to comment, try to keep it above the “You’re a big poopy head!” level. Okay?

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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42 Comments

  1. tcreek says:

    Thanks a lot, Fr. Z.
    It is about time for supper and I am afraid to eat.

  2. rodin says:

    Kmiec is suffering from acute self hypnosis. No, Obama is not to blame for it; plenty of people saw Obama for the prevaricator he is. Kmiec has deluded himself for whatever reason. Without doubt we will hear a great deal more from Obama on this and it will probably be even more Hitlerian. How, please, did/do saints manage to love their enemies? Maybe that is something to practice for Lent.

  3. One of those little animated smiley face icons, whose eyes roll back and around, would certainly come in handy about now.

  4. JoAnna says:

    Oh my, that was painful to read. Kmeic sounds so sad and bewildered at how his friend could have possibly betrayed him. I almost feel sorry for the poor man.

  5. Peggy R says:

    This groveling deference, greater than any respectful letter to any president would require, is embarrassing. St. Thomas More pray for Doug Kmiec.

  6. benedetta says:

    It’s just too much. I simple “mistakes were made” letter to fellow Catholics would suffice.

  7. Son of Trypho says:

    The tragic and sad legacy of a confused and disorientated aggiornamento in the Church.

    We now have a generation of Catholics who have subordinated the Faith and its requirements to a social justice/democratic socialist ideology.

    I also suspect that he is attempting to have it both ways – this way Kmiec can point out to critics that he tried to appeal to Obama about this matter while retaining his personal friendship with Obama and the party.

  8. Mike says:

    The whole tone is obsequious, whimpering. He’s sold out by “tone” alone. Additionally, it’s a poorly written letter, so laden is it with pc phrasing.

  9. It may be more than you did to stop the Bush Administration from torturing people, Fr. Zulsdorf. [You can’t spell. I’ll give you a Mulligan this time.]

  10. Ed the Roman says:

    I know how I would have commented on this letter among my own people (sailors and Marines).

    Can’t talk that way here.

  11. Mellie says:

    It’s distressing to see that Kmiec still doesn’t have a clue. This is pathetic. Did someone say “groveling deference”? Indeed.

  12. Theodore says:

    Once the dog learns to heel, it doesn’t need the leash every time.

  13. Ellen says:

    Someone needs to tell Kmiec that The Won is not an absolute monarch. Dear me, can he get any more lickspittlish? That was embarrassing to read.

  14. Fr. Thomas Kocik says:

    Reminds me of the scene in The Cardinal, where Vienna’s deluded Cardinal Innitzer, following a severe tongue-lashing from Hitler, contritely laments having raised his arm in a “Heil Hitler!” salute — the same arm he used for the Sign of the Cross.

  15. Fr. Kocik: Funny you should mention that. After I posted that clip from Richard III I processed an excerpt from The Cardinal. Exactly the one you mentioned! I’ll get it posted soon.

  16. benedetta says:

    It appears that the only “dialogue” he or any of the Obama Catholics are ever going to get on prolife are those conducted with and amongst themselves alone. He’ll get zero reply to this just like the dialogue on prolife was a fabrication to begin with.

  17. This kind of reminds me of the relationship between Wormtongue and Saruman.

  18. JohnnyZoom says:

    “This kind of reminds me of the relationship between Wormtongue and Saruman”

    Wow, I wished I said that.

  19. DavidJ says:

    I certainly “want you to succeed Mr. President” as well. My definition of success,though, is probably much different than his.

  20. r7blue1pink says:

    Extremely pathetic.. why does Kmiec have so much empathy for Obama? I mean REALLY?

  21. marytoo says:

    “I, for one, would like to extend your opportunity to address significant inequalities and divisions that unnecessarily exist in our country and the larger world.”

    Is he saying he would actually vote for him again? Maybe I’m misreading…

  22. EXCHIEF says:

    Oh I’m smelling somethng Father Z….but it isn’t coffee.

  23. Random Friar says:

    Mr. Kmiec reminds me of a Greek tragedy: probably a good man, who just cannot see his blind spot, and will most likely never see it.

  24. robtbrown says:

    Kmiec sounds like a naive girl who has been dumped by her no good boyfriend. She is still smitten and hasn’t admitted that her friends warning about him from the beginning is true.

    Fr. Z's Gold Star Award

  25. robtbrown says:

    Timothy Mulligan says:

    It may be more than you did to stop the Bush Administration from torturing people, Fr. Zulsdorf.

    I find it interesting that certain people are fine with entering a sovereign nation and whacking Osama Bin Laden, but they object to him being captured and waterboarded.

    [Rabbit hole closed.]

  26. robtbrown says:

    should be: friends’ warning

  27. Supertradmum says:

    Those who compromise and are not violent with themselves fall into being manipulated. Christ addressed this. Only those who die to self get discernment.

  28. ckdexterhaven says:

    Doug, he’s just not that into you.

    [Thanks for a really smart one. You avoid cheap name calling.]

    Fr. Z's Gold Star Award

  29. Fr_Sotelo says:

    Father Z:
    I think robtbrown almost always hits the nail on the head, but couldn’t you spare one of those gold stars for these words: “Kmiec sounds like a naive girl who has been dumped by her no good boyfriend. She is still smitten and hasn’t admitted that her friends’ warning about him from the beginning is true.” And then ckdexterhaven should be commended for making me laugh so hard the coffee almost hits the keyboard! [Because you asked, old friend! o{];¬) ]

    Pobrecito Doug. It is painful and agonizing to read this letter.

  30. Legisperitus says:

    “This kind of reminds me of the relationship between Wormtongue and Saruman”

    Or Wormtail and Voldemort. Or even Nute Gunray and Palpatine.

    But mostly I think of Lew Ayres’ character in the first (and best) Battlestar Galactica.

  31. JuliB says:

    I’ve read a great many books on Stalin and his long reign. So many people were seconds from being executed but were crying out ‘talk to Stalin – he’ll explain it’, all the while that Stalin was the very one who arranged for the execution.

    Some people went to their deaths still loving Comrade Stalin. Some people refuse to learn.

  32. Clinton says:

    That was excruciating to read. Pobrecito Doug, indeed. You’ve outlived your usefulness, Doug,
    join the others under the bus. Sad, sad, sad.

  33. amenamen says:

    Dear Doug,
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFojIOL_qZc

    Play it again, Doug.

  34. benedetta says:

    JuliB, It was Stalin who also said: “Death is the solution to all problems. No man – no problem.”

  35. phlogiston says:

    Poor Ambassador Kmiec. He provides an example of what Protestant preacher Billy Sunday once said. “Sin can be forgiven, but stupid is forever.”

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  37. Dan says:

    Apparently, we have come to mock Mr. Kmiec, and not to pray for him.

  38. robtbrown says:

    Dan says:

    Apparently, we have come to mock Mr. Kmiec, and not to pray for him.

    I didn’t know the two were mutually exclusive.

  39. irishsmile says:

    Mr. Kmiec is neither naive nor uneducated; he understands! Remember that he also recently joined hands with 30 left-wing ‘Catholics and signed a letter praising Sebillious for her nomination for Secretary of Health. Mr. Kmiec unfortunately supports Democratic politicians and unfortunately Democratic politicians overwhelmingly support baby killing.

  40. Dan says:

    To the extent that, after I mock someone I am often later moved to pray for forgiveness for my pride, for my conversion, and for the conversion of the other person – no, the two are not mutually exclusive.

    It seems to me that Mr. Kmiec wrote the letter with the intent of getting the President to reverse his course on this matter. Why the lack of charity toward someone who supports the same cause? If you want to make converts, you don’t berate them for not recognizing the truth sooner. You encourage them in every small step they take.

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