Intelligencer

Bush Leads With Catholics 

PERHAPS the most interesting statistic in recent polls is the fact that President George W. Bush has now got an eight-point lead among white ethnic Catholics in the race for the White House.

As we have stated here many times, the key swing vote is the Catholic one, as it has been in several elections. They are the “Reagan Democrats” who have swung away from their blue-collar roots to go with the Republicans in some elections, but have also reunited with the Democratic Party as they did twice during the Clinton years.

Interesting that the eight-point margin effectively reflects what is the likely Bush lead overall, an indication once again that John Kerry simply has to hold on to their vote if he wants to become president of the United States. As a practicing Catholic himself, it is surprising he has not got more traction with that community.

Right now, it looks like the Bush tough talk on war and national security has trumped the domestic political issues such as the economy, and the Catholic vote is swinging his way.

Interesting to note that no candidate has won the White House without winning the Catholic vote in recent times, with one exception. Al Gore just shaded Bush in 2000, but we all know what happened in that election. 

No doubt both sides will be heavily focusing on the ultimate “swingers” over the next seven weeks.

From Baghdad To Belfast

TIME was when the job of U.S. consul in Belfast was considered a hardship post given the ongoing violence. Not any more.

Indeed, given where the new occupant of that office is coming from it might well be considered a prize posting.

Dean Pitman spent 18 months holed up in a 15’ by 8’ metal trailer in Baghdad where he was part of the American diplomatic effort in the country.

“We did have rockets hit the place where we were, and I found myself under the desk a few times,” he told The Belfast Telegraph in an interview after assuming his new office. “It became part of the day-to-day existence.”

The 46-year-old Virginia native certainly finds the expansive residence and U.S. consulate in Belfast much more to his liking. It also helps that he can trace his roots to Co. Antrim, where his great grandfather emigrated from in the early 1900s.

“We heard little bits of our ancestry when we were growing up and always claimed it,” he told the newspaper.

Pitman is a former Peace Corps volunteer and has held posts in Bosnia, Mozambique, Angola and Ghana in addition to Baghdad. He is a former director for Balkan Affairs at the National Security Council.

Reiss Will Play a Role

BY the time you read this, U.S. Special Envoy Mitchell Reiss will be deep in the negotiating process at the all-party talks being held in Britain this week.

Reiss could well prove to be a key figure as the Irish and British governments try to force a peace settlement across the line. After a shaky start Reiss has begun to impress those on both sides with his application to the job.

Also playing a significant role in recent months has been the U.S. ambassador to Ireland James Kenny, who has been far more active and involved than many of his predecessors. Kenny played a particularly positive role during the Loyalist marching season, according to some reports.

Kenny is certainly getting higher marks than former U.S. Ambassador Richard Egan, who even told The Irish Times that he was “bored” during his second year in Dublin — hardly the most diplomatic statement.

Egan, of course, is a major fundraiser for President Bush now, and his son recently released an anti-Kerry film during the Democratic convention in Boston.

All in all the Bush administration can justifiably point to men like Kenny, Reiss and former special envoy Richard Haass and say they have lived up to their commitment to keeping the Irish issue on the front burner during their administration.

FBI on the Prowl

THE FBI has been visiting some Irish activists in recent months, begging the question of whether the reality of the support for the Irish peace process has hit home here.

In addition, senior Republican figures from Ireland have been detained for long periods when coming into the country, hindering their efforts to spread the information about what is happening with the peace process.

It is surprising that the FBI would still be interested in an issue where there is now 99% consensus and support for the peace process and all that entails.

Indeed, the question would no doubt be asked if there isn’t more urgent and pressing matters facing this country than looking for non-existent threats among Irish American organizations.

Clinton’s Irish Nurse 

NICE story from the operating room where former President Bill Clinton was waiting for his quadruple bypass surgery a week or so ago.

Clinton insisted on talking to all the nursing staff and doctors in attendance, and was delighted when one of the nurses proudly told him she was from Ireland.

Top Democratic operative Paul Begala, during an interview with Larry King on CNN last week, said Clinton was delighted to hear one of his nurses was Irish, given his fondness for all things Irish.

Maybe it was the luck of the Irish that his heart condition was caught in the nick of time.