understatement of the week

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Feb 11, 2008

In the Super Tuesday Democratic primaries, the New York Times reports, Catholic voters swung heavily toward Hillary Clinton. Why? The Times offers a few theories, including the Clinton edge with Hispanic voters and the possibility that Catholics, educated by nuns, may be more likely to accept female leaders.

Hold on a second. How many Catholics have been educated by nuns in the past 30 years? That theory sounds wobbly. It doesn't help that the woman who advances it, a member of the New York state assembly, illustrates her point by recalling a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini:

"When you’re a fourth grader coming from Queens and you see that — well, you talk about female role models," Ms. Nolan said. "Not that I’m putting Hillary Clinton in that category."

Right. Definitely a different category.