Seldom does dawn rise on an America where the morning’s New York Times displays a more intuitive grasp of a story than the New York Post. The coverage of Barack Obama’s commencement address at Notre Dame, however, was such a day. Where the Post headlined an inside spread with “Obama In the Lions’ Den,” the Times front page was dominated by a color photograph of a beaming president, resplendent in his blue-and-gold Notre Dame academic gown, reaching out to graduates eager to shake his hand or just touch his robe.
It was precisely the message President Obama wanted to send: How bad can he be on abortion if Notre Dame is willing to honor him?
We cannot blame the president for this one. During his campaign for president, Mr. Obama spoke honestly about the aggressive pro-choice agenda he intended to pursue — as he assured Planned Parenthood, he was “about playing offense,” not defense — and his actions have been consistent with that pledge. If only our nation’s premier Catholic university were as forthright in advancing its principles as Mr. Obama has been for his.