The Pope, the President, and the Prime Minister

As Pope Benedict XVI wraps up his historic visit to the United States, his visit triggers memories of his predecessor, John Paul II, and the role he, Ronald Reagan, and Margaret Thatcher played in defeating communism and ending the Cold War. This trio of world leaders fundametally rejected the ideas of detente and containment and advocated that the only way to defeat the "evil" that was communism was to roll it back to its origins in the Soviet Union and then ultimately have it collpase. While Reagan and Thatcher provided the political, economic, and military cover to roll back the evil empire, it was the moral authority of John Paul II that provided millions behind the iron curtain with hope, and a belief in liberty, human dignity, and human rights that helped carry the day. While Benedict XVI is not John Paul II, he too, can help play a role in defeating the great evil of our time, Islamofascism, that grows stronger by the day. Hopefully, Benedict XVI will prove to be John Paul II's equal in recognizing the evil that confronts humanity in the 21st century. Only time will tell.