"Ramblin' round your city, ramblin' round your town..." -- Woody Guthrie

The Washington Post is depicting Mel Gibson's private screening of The Passion as a "power play." At least that's what the headline said. But here's what MPAA President Jack Valenti said after viewing the film: "I don't see what the controversy is all about. This is a compelling piece of art. I just called Kirk Douglas and told him that this is the movie to beat."

Sounds to me like Mel's "power play" is working. Welcome to the big leagues, Braveheart.

In other news...

Father John McCloskey, director of the Catholic Information Center in Washington DC, and de facto chaplain to the Beltway insiders, has received yet another public figure into the Church -- this time, Judge Robert Bork, once considered for a seat on the US Supreme Court. While everybody is patting McCloskey (an excellent priest and a good man) on the back for this one, they have ignored the one person who had to play the greatest role in his conversion.

His wife.

Mary Ellen Bork is a woman of considerable charm and grace, an eloquent speaker on pro-life issues, and a remarkable figure in her own right. (She's not too hard on the eyes, either.) If I know the good Padre, he would agree with me as to where the real credit belongs.

Then again, what the hell do I know?