Hats off to Sen. Barbara Boxer, who yesterday became the first national politician, as far as I can tell, to use Pope Benedict's visit as an opportunity to deplore the Vatican's reactionary stances on women's rights and the role of religion in public life. Boxer forced Sen. Sam Brownback -- AKA Fundamentalist-in-Chief -- to cut anti-choice and anti-separation of Church and State dog whistles from his Senate resolution welcoming the pontiff to the United States. Well done. Showing respect for the Pope should not require compromising the First Amendment. Read more at Fox News. --Dana Goldstein
