15 minutes of fame

Bart Stupak has had his, and history will march on. I don't usually make predictions, but I think the Democratic leadership will get its 216 votes without compromising with him. Many of the holdouts are actual dyed-in-the-wool Democrats who, when push comes to shove, will not want to be the ones defeating this generation's chance at the brass ring of healthcare reform.

Stupak has declared he has no respect for the 50 organizations of nuns -- representing tens of thousand of sisters throught the country -- that have exhorted Congress to pass the bill. The nuns, of course, are responsible for many of the day-to-day interactions between their church and needy parishioners. Bishops in general, and the Council of the same, represent the official power structure; you know, the ones that shuttled pedophile clergy around when their abuse of youngsters became known. The ones who damaged the lives of "the innocent" that they now profess to be so concerned about; the ones who have nearly bankrupted many archdioces around the world as well as the reputation of their Church. Somehow, I think the nuns have a better perspective on family values and sanctity of life.

Maybe you'd expect Bart Stupak to go with the men though. It's the tough, guy, thing to do.