Henry VIII must be rolling in his grave

In CNN.com - "Irony of prince's wedding delay" - Apr 5, 2005 - Martin Kettle is quoted as saying,

"Until very recently the mere idea that a prime minister or the head of the Anglican church might have any kind of dialogue with Rome -- never mind rearrange the next Protestant King's wedding to suit the cardinals in Rome -- would have been regarded as close to treason."

Or does this really show us more about the current culture of global celebrity scheduling conflicts than about the titanic clash of religious cultures and the nation-states of "old Europe"? This is not necessarily a "liberal" issue, but we can't resist it when the mainstream media starts using the word "Irony" in its headlines. It sounds as practical as the NBA avoiding a television conflict with the Super Bowl. But on a more personal level, I think I have some idea how most future wives would react to their "big day" being moved for "something more important" -- maybe not the best way to start a marriage. Though it could be the premise for the pilot of a great royal sit-com -- to quote Groucho or Karl Marx (paraphrasing Hegel),

all great, world-historical facts and personages occur, as it were, twice. [... ] the first time as tragedy, the second as farce.

Which would apply perfectly to the George Bushes too, if the first George Bush weren't also a farce (OK, now it's a liberal issue fit for this blog).

- true blue liberal