CNS on "incredible shrinking field of Catholic presidential candidates"

A fascinating story by Nancy Frazier O'Brien:

The incredible shrinking field of Catholic presidential candidates

Whatever happened to the crowd of Catholics vying for the presidential nomination in 2008? Less than a year ago, nearly a dozen Catholics -- Republicans and Democrats -- had either declared as candidates for president, started an exploratory committee or been widely mentioned as likely candidates.

...

Although many Catholic presidential candidates have come and gone over the years, Shaffer said you'd have to look back several election cycles to find someone who might have had the right qualities to succeed.

"To see a Catholic candidate who could have run with the right attributes -- charisma, message, speaking ability -- you have to go back to Mario Cuomo," the former New York governor who flirted with the idea of a run for the presidency in the 1980s and 1990s but never declared himself a candidate.

(psst! you hearing this, Bobby Jindal?)