Today In BS: "Obama Closing The Vatican Embassy"

15 Comments

by: Colorado Pols

Image via the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee launched a petition last week to protest what it described as the "latest anti-religion pursuit" by the Obama administration, but it looks like the group is already abandoning its crusade.

A webpage that took aim at President Obama for his "plans to close the U.S. Embassy to the Vatican" is nowhere to be found on the NRSC's website. The original URL now directs back to the NRSC's homepage…

But the embassy isn't actually closing. It's re-locating to a larger U.S. compound in Rome, a move that will save more than $1.4 million and bolster security. Vatican officials even dismissed the re-location as a non-issue.

The language of the National Republican Senatorial Committee's petition, now deleted, didn't mince words:

The media is reporting that President Obama plans to close the U.S. Embassy to the Vatican. This is just the latest anti-religion pursuit of this Administration, a slap in the face to Catholic-Americans around the country that weakens America’s position as a global leader.

Except, as CNN explains:

A spokesman for the Vatican said the move was well within the Holy See's requirements for embassies and that relations with the United States are far from strained.

The Rev. Thomas Rosica, a Canadian priest who works with the Vatican's press office, said the Vatican requires foreign embassies to the Holy See be separate from the country's mission to Italy, have a separate address and have a separate entrance.

Both Rosica and the senior State Department official said the proposed U.S. move satisfies those requirements.

Rosica also praised Ken Hackett, the new U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, telling CNN that "at this critical time in history, he brings eminent credentials to represent the United States to the Vatican."

A conservative blog here in Colorado joined in this apparently coordinated hit, quoting Colorado resident, former Vatican ambassador, and former Republican National Committee chairman Jim Nicholson of Colorado saying, "[Obama is] turning this embassy into a stepchild of the embassy to Italy." Colorado Peak Politics warned darkly, "this is just the latest in a series of controversial moves by the Obama administration the week of Thanksgiving, when many Americans aren’t paying attention."

Only problem is, the Monday after this story was spread around every Catholic Thanksgiving table in America, it turned out to be a bunch of bull. And while some might eventually learn that it was never true, it's just another case of spreading BS, and hoping it spreads farther than the fact-checking.

Unfortunately, that works quite often.

15 thoughts on “Today In BS: “Obama Closing The Vatican Embassy””

horseshit GOP front group says:

December 2, 2013 at 3:39 pm

Yes, but there has just been this bombshell discovery that the Pope is a Marxist. Do we have an Embassy in Pyongyang or something ? These are necessary cold war measures.

Point – Obama.

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JeffcoBlue says:

December 2, 2013 at 3:51 pm

Holding my breath for a Peak Politics correction. Get ready to defib me when I pass out.

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Davie says:

December 2, 2013 at 4:09 pm

Yup, the GOP Shit-In-Mouth disease is hitting pandemic proportions

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ClubTwitty says:

December 2, 2013 at 4:42 pm

But I thought the pope was a Marxist now. That's what Rush said. I'm so confused. If the pope's a Marxist should Obama be his friend? And the NRCC his enemy? Or is Rush wrong? Is the NRCC saying Rush is wrong? That the pope is not a Marxist? Who should I believe?????

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1. Duke Cox says:
  
  December 2, 2013 at 5:08 pm
  
  …believe in the Force, young skywalker….
  
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2. BlueCat says:
  
  December 2, 2013 at 5:23 pm
  
  This Pope is going to cause a lot of headaches for the rightie base crowd. He actually seems to think that the welfare and dignity of ordinary people are more important than hating teh gays. Maybe the base can go back to being anti-Catholic like in the good old days. You know, the Whore of Rome, the Anti-Christ and all that good old fashioned overwhelmingly Protestant (back then) GOP stuff? Back when most Catholics. like the Irish, Italians, Poles etc. were Dems?
  
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  1. mamajama55 says:
    
    December 2, 2013 at 6:16 pm
    
    I think that the far right crowd believes that Catholics are "low-information" and hence easy targets for propaganda. They were quite disappointed that Latino voters are not deserting Dems en masse over birth control and abortion rights.
    
    So when the Pope, of all people, calls for the faithful to question the gospel of prosperity, and return to what that radical hippie Jesus of Nazareth had to say, they are becoming quite upset.
    
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MichaelBowman says:

December 2, 2013 at 5:59 pm

Jeb is suppose to be "the smart one", yet he wasn't even aware that this transition started under his own brother?!?

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1. BlueCat says:
  
  December 2, 2013 at 11:31 pm
  
  He's a Bush brother. Being the smart one is a pretty low bar. Jeb's a genius compared to GW who's a genius compared to Neil and even the Bushes seem to be none too enthusiastic about Marvin. One of my two cats is smarter than the other, too.
  
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  1. MichaelBowman says:
    
    December 3, 2013 at 9:26 am
    
    You just made me spit out my coffee, BC! I worked with Jeb and his staff when we formed the Florida "25x'25" alliance in 2006/2007 when he was Governor (he was one of our early endorsers of the movement, Governor Ritter was the first) – and in his defense, it was a pleasant experience. In the meetings he attended he was informed and engaged and he was quite supportive of renewables. And not in the "I'll just talk about it and pretend way" like so many of his Republican counterparts – he was genuinely supportive.
    
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    1. BlueCat says:
      
      December 3, 2013 at 9:39 am
      
      Hope it didn't mess with whatever electronic devise you were using.
      
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      1. MichaelBowman says:
        
        December 3, 2013 at 10:02 am
        
        I'm going to need your address so I know where to send the bill!!
        
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roccoprahn says:

December 2, 2013 at 6:12 pm

What's astonishing is that jeb seemingly tweeted this out after hearing/reading about it on some conservative bomb throwing site or from some delusional "friend".

Without vetting it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, this guy shames himself by simply looking stupid. Really stupid.

And the republicans once again rear thier collective hypocritical heads.

The temporary "closing" of the Embassy is for security enhancements and updates. On one hand, these reptiles scream about "security inadequacies, deliberately perpetrated by the Obama Administration" and then accuse the Administration of waging a "holy war" on catholics when the Vatican Embassy's security is beefed up.

Dipshits, make up your minds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Question………..Is there even 1 republican on this planet that doesn't suffer from ODS?

That's "Obama Derangement Syndrome".

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Duke Cox says:

December 2, 2013 at 6:51 pm

Is there even 1 republican on this planet that doesn't suffer from ODS?

There is no evidence to suggest so….

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bullshit! says:

December 2, 2013 at 7:38 pm

Jesus, look at that picture. Look at the eyes. Not very subtle Antichrist imagery.

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