NYT Hypocrisy Alert

So the New York Times is calling on Pope Benedict to apologize for quoting words that offended Muslims. Perhaps he should agree to do so, as soon as the Times apologizes to Scooter Libby and Karl Rove for its biased credulity in the "Plamegate" affair.

In any case, the Times' call provides a revealing snapshot of the way that liberals, like those at the Times, see the purpose of religion. It's simply to make everyone feel good, like being put to bed after a warm bath with tender words and comforting cuddles. It's about softness, about "I'm ok / you're ok" feel-goodism, and nothing more.

In fact, it could be argued that the world needs a more muscular, robust Christianity that is willing to look evil in the face without flinching, call it by its true name, and fight it eternally.

As the Pope will be the first to clarify, he wasn't intending to criticize the millions of peaceful Muslims worldwide. But by their overheated response, many of them are justifying his implied critique -- and The New York Times, which so values its own speech rights, are amazingly hypocritical to try to wring an apology out of the Pope for exercising his.