Kmiec defends pro-Obama position in conference call

This morning I was able to listen-in on some brief parts of a conference call hosted by the Matthew 25 Network which featured Doug Kmiec defending his position that a Catholic can support Barack Obama for President.

John Allen asked a very interesting question and has posted Kmiec's response.

I only heard bits and snatches of Kmiec's comments in response to a CNS question about the reaction he has encountered subsequent to coming out in support of Obama as a Catholic. He did, however, make some sort of claim that the blog world has been filled mostly with hatred for him and that most of his critics haven't even bothered to read his book.

I have a few reactions to Kmiec. First, my extensive criticisms of his position have always been based on his public position and actual words. As you can see, I've found plenty of material right there.

Second, as for reading Kmiec's book, here's the best review of it I've read so far:

"It doesn't contain anything new, but it does make the best argument that can be made for a preposterous position." (source.)

Kmiec's arguments aren't anything new, and what he says in the book is simply a more extended version of the argument - albeit refined with greater precision - that he's already been peddling. It's an argument I've extensively critiqued on these pages, and think simply does not hold up.

I'll end with an observation about this Matthew 25/Kmiec phenomenon. It doesn't feel genuine. It feels calculated, and political. For one thing, they protest to much: they protest that anyone who criticizes Obama's position on life issues must in fact be a republican and be criticizing Obama essentially for political gain.

I wish they could prove to me that they weren't supporting Obama for identical reasons (i.e., political). And I have some sort of sneaking suspicion that this whole push to get Catholics on the Obama bandwagon ... well, I think all this attention is going to evaporate the day after the election.

Because it's our votes they really want.

More reading (to be updated):

• Catholic Vote Dynamics for the Last 34 Days
• Reagan lawyer now stumps for Obama
• A pastoral letter from Bishop Martino (responds to many of Kmiec's arguments)
• Stephen Douglass 1860 (Jeff Miller's satirical and revealing recasting of Kmiec)
• Straw Everywhere (Amy Welborn is getting mad at this "deceit" as well)