Crazy conspiracy theories

In an LATimes op-ed, author Jack Miles suggests that the Vatican might intervene in the filibuster controversy, by somehow turning Catholics against the tactic. Here's the closing paragraph:

What [Ratzinger's letter on Abortion and Catholic Politicians] seemed to suggest was that if Bush gave Rome what it wanted on the abortion issue and the (now strategically inflamed) euthanasia issue, Rome would do its best to give Bush what he wanted regarding the death penalty and, above all, war. The question that now arises is whether Rome is offering a similar deal with the U.S. Constitution at stake: If Bush backs Rome on abortion and euthanasia, Rome will do what it can to turn U.S. Catholics against the filibuster. The fact that the mass mailing will swing only a minority of the country's Catholics against the filibuster is irrelevant. The minority, as it did in the last election, may make the difference.

The ability of some people to view the entirety of reality through a paradigm completely & thoroughly dominated by American political machinery is really quite astounding.

(HT: KJ Lopez.)