The Obama administration announced that it will be relocating our embassy to the Vatican. The present embassy is located in a free-standing building within the city of Rome. The move, scheduled to take place in 2015, will put the embassy inside the compound of the American Embassy to Italy--a larger and more secure facility, also located within the city of Rome, and one that is slightly closer to the Vatican itself. Locating the two embassies within the same compound will save $1.4 million per year.
Republicans are outraged.
what eye thynk: This is a story of media hype morphing into conservative outrage unsupported by any hint of a fact.
The Washington Times first reported the move on Wednesday: "The Obama administration, in what's been called an egregious slap in the face to the Vatican, has moved to shut down the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See and relocate offices onto the grounds of the larger American Embassy in Italy." The news was picked up and repeated by conservative media--minus the "relocate offices onto the grounds of..." part. Eventually, Fox Nation made it their lead story, again leaving out the information that the embassy was simply being relocated and making it sound as though the embassy were being eliminated entirely.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee began a petition drive to stop what they called "the latest anti-religion pursuit" of the Obama administration, a move "perceived by many Catholics as hostile and completely unnecessary", adding that the move "weakens America's position as a global leader."
Other Republican politicians joined the hue and cry. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush (R) added his opinion that the embassy was being closed as "retribution" for the Vatican's "opposition" to the Affordable Care Act. (The Vatican opposes the ACA? Has anyone told the Pope yet?) Representative Michael Grimm (R-New York) said the move was a "slap in the face" to American Roman Catholics.
Contrary to all the Republican naysaying, a Vatican official responded to the move by saying that the Holy See understands there are security concerns with the current location and pointed out that other countries have made similar moves without incident. Anyone gifted with common sense would expect the more secure location and lower operational costs to elicit a positive response, especially from Republicans. (Remember Benghazi and the Republican call for better embassy security? And what about the Republican desire to reduce spending?) But condemnation is the Republican message of choice--no matter whether facts support it or not.
And one fact that Republicans have chosen to ignore completely: The building to which the Embassy to the Holy See will be moving was purchased during W's administration for the express purpose of moving the embassy there in the future. So maybe Republicans should be outraged at themselves.
does the word "Racism"? pop up in anyone's mind here? From "Day 1", when they announced they would do everything to get 'him' outta office, the whole of the Republican Party has done everything they can imagine (in their twisted hateful little minds) to undermine President Obama and, subsequently, the government of the United States. Even to a point of destroying our credibility in a world struggling to recover from a massive financial hit ~ which, by the way, was their fault.
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