RIP Pope John Paul II: The Shorter Version

Blogger ate my longer post about the death of Pope John Paul II. But the shorter version is this: Republicans will claim his legacy (the anti-abortion, anti-gay side), but Democrats should claim his legacy as well (the anti-war, anti-death penalty, anti-capitalist pig stuff). Also, why did the media have to suck the Presidential dick when talking about the late Pope on Saturday, which makes one wonder, if the death of the Pope can't stop the media from fawning all over the "popular" George W. Bush (at 45% approval rating now, according to Gallup, the lowest approval rating of a second-term Prez in the 1st March of second term), what will it take for them to do so?

I'm not Catholic, but the Pope is clearly a global figure who goes beyond religious barriers. Despite his (and therefore the Church's) draconian stance on many issues, he was generally an ambassador of peace and goodwill, something the so-called Christian leaders of this country will never be no matter how much they claim to be. The closest they are to this man in Vatican City was the Mafia gangsters in nearby Sicily.