In “White Smoke,” Father Greeley repeats many of the errors of his other writings. He is a charming person and I think he truly believes that his prescription is the antidote for all that ails the Catholic Church.

He is, of course, wrong. Father Greeley’s mistake, as always, is to assume the absence of any transcendent moral truth that goes beyond sociological studies and the whims of American Catholics, seduced by the material pleasures of the late 20th century. The hierarchy of the Catholic Church is no more out of step with the people than Jesus Christ was out of step with the people who put Him to death or the American Abolitionists were out of step with those who believed slavery to be moral.

The teaching authority of the Church is not to be sniffed at by those who desire acceptance at Harvard cocktail parties. It is a real thing. Vatican II, contrary to popular belief, did not displace the pope and the magisterium as the teachers of the Catholic Church and replace them with the opinions of American Catholics.

White Smoke is an amusing story- how accurately it describes the conclave no one can know but those who have actually participated. Hopefully, Greeley’s predictions of a morally lazy pope will not come to pass. John Paul II has been of the great leaders of our time and one of the greatest Catholic teachers in the whole history of the Church. To replace him with someone who would surrender church teaching to the moral philosophy of MTV would be a great mistake. In this era where markets and majorities rule, the Church remains a bulwark against falsity and moral weakness. I hope and pray that White Smoke will forever be a work of fiction, never to come to pass. Rating: 2 / 5

(*****-And what IF JOHN F. KERRY, had won Ohio, or any OTHER State’s “Votes,” and “Election,” under such Criminally UNETHICAL Circumstances?! The REPUB. “Americans$$” in the White House and Congress$$$, would be calling for Kerry’;s head, if not his Public CRUCIFIXION, much like they REFUSED to “PATRIOTICALLY, and Decently,” Back up DULY-ELECTED President CLINTON in his AIRSTRIKES and MASSIVE CRUISE Missile Strikes against Bin Laden’s Camps in Afghanistan, AND his Chemical Weapon PRECURSOR Material Factor in Al Shifa, Sudan. INSTEAD these Repub. “Americans$$” would only cry out., “No Wars for MONICA,” and “Hand over the semen-stained BLUE DRESS”?! 9 or MORE of the Repub. “Americans$” on the Repub. “Impeachement” teams, in seanate and congress, were SERIAL WIFE-CHEATERS, themselves!) Well Done, congressman Cponyers, Sir, a TRUE American Patriot, in utter CONTRAST to the FAS$CISTS, such as KARL ROVE, GW BUS$H, and Ohio Secretary of State, Ken, toally, ANTI-”Black”WELL!!

They, GW and Karl ROVE also MET with BLACKWELL< right on that TUESDAY, Nov. 2nd, "Election" Day Morning in COLUMBUS, OHIO, to Further FINALIZE their Plans to STEAL OHIO. That CRIMINAL MEETING, alone, merits impeachment hearings, though SO VERY MUCH more, lawless WIRETAPPING of tens of MILLIONS of Americans(when AL QUEDA, long since, years ago, STOPPED Using the internet and even cell phones in their important communications, they only USE COURIERS, according to our OWN Intel. Services), the AGGRESSIVE WARS$ in IRAQ, and Iran to follow, for their OIL RESERVES$$, the Pre-9/11/2001 DEALINGS$ with, and Bribings$ of the TALIBAN LEADERSHIP, in AFGHANISTAN, for the CENTRAL ASIAN Gas/Oil Pipelines$, this TRAITOROUS$, as well, as Outgoing Clinton OfficialS, many of them TRIED TO WARN all of the incoming "Elected"(after 12/12/2000 UNSIGNED "Ruling," by the CRIMINAL US Supreme, "Court," ah-hem) BUS$H ADMINISTRATION,m that the AL QUEDA THREAT would be their greatest THREAT and Concern, throughout the Bush Presidency, this "way back"(but a blink of the eye, to "God," though, Folks!) in Dec. 2000-January 2001!!

Add to this GW Bus$h’s seeing the August 6th, 2001 FULLY Documented CIA, etcetera, Dire Warning and “Memo”{though it was much MORE involved than THAT, as were the INTEL. Agency warnings in Summer-fall of 2001, from over 20 Allied and other Nations, of an IMMINENT AL QUEDA Attack on US Soil, so much so that at the july, 2001 Genoa G-8 Economic talks, the ENTIRE AREA of the talks and of genoa, Italy, was RINGED with anti-aircraft MISSILES, and GW had to Sleep off shore in a Battleship or aircraft carrier, John ASHCROFT stops flying Commercial AIRLINES in June-July 2001, onwards, but has his FBI warn NO ONE, in the nation’s aviation system?!), etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, and you can see why, … well, we need a U.S. “GOVERMENT-IN-EXILE” to start, against this Twice, “elected” Bunch, folks, like it or don’t.

Again, well done, Congressman CONYERS, SIR!! Leftist and PROUDLY, PROGRESSIVELY-PATRIOT, “Ex” Marine(who took my pledge to Uphold the US CONSTITUTION, above ALL ELSE!!) herein, God Bless Yee, good Lad!!

And to OHIO’s “Secretary of State,” and perhaps, to be Criminally “Elected,” as well, as “Governor” of Ohio, Mr. J. Kenneth, ANTI-”BLACK”-Well, Sir, … May The Good Lord, Blessed Jesus, i.e., JOSHUA, I.E., The Christ of Human History, I.E.,the PRINCE, … of PEACE, have mercy on your LOST SOUL, Sir. Rating: 5 / 5

The body of the document does a reasonable job of presenting facts, analysis, and references. The introduction by Gore Vidal however has the sound of a party pundit.

The book is organized into dozens of sections each focusing on some disconcerting situation. It does not present a pretty picture of American elections.

There is a lost opportunity here. Each of those situations could have generated ideas for fairer rules and ways to conduct better elections. Instead, each subsection wraps-up by demonizing some particular group of people. Predictably, those people and organizations are ones that Conyers would have considered foes even before the election was held.

The conclusions are unfortunately heavily weighted toward “undoing the election” rather than providing a useful blueprint for the future.

While there is plenty of useful source material and cause for concern, the book is one-sided and focuses more on delegitimizing the previous election rather getting things to work right on a go-forward basis.

I hope some bright think tank picks-up the ball. The future needs to have clear audit trails, short voter lines, clear voter disqualification rules, observers, better turnouts, and simple voting machines.

What the future does not need is more exit polls (treated in the book as if they were an independent recount), more attorneys (over 10,000 on each side), more court challenges (this undermines elections), or more 527 organizations. Rating: 3 / 5

Bush 2004, 51% of vote – loser

Right… Rating: 1 / 5