It's nice to see American values are spreading to Islamic nations.

If this week's outrage by Muslims over comments made by the Pope proves anything, it's that an American-style "gotcha" media presence is spreading in Islamic countries. There's just something about Muslim outrage over something the Pope said instead of outrage over the existence of Israel or the policies of the Great Satan that just screams "slow news week in Istanbul" to me.

Some of the articles list of responses to the pope's statements seem stereotypically American as well. For example, the article states

Many Muslims accused Benedict of seeking to promote Judeo-Christian dominance over Islam.

That's a lot like the American media's occasional hysteria over reports that "Democrats accuse Bush of seeking to promote Republican Party." What else do you expect? Promoting Christianity over other religions (What do you mean "Judeo-"?) is kindof the pope's day job.

There's also the "turning back the clock to the 50s" accusation:

"He has a dark mentality that comes from the darkness of the Middle Ages. He is a poor thing that has not benefited from the spirit of reform in the Christian world," Kapusuz told Turkish state media. "It looks like an effort to revive the mentality of the Crusades."

Usually, American liberals accuse President Bush of rolling back the clock to the 1650s at the earliest in order to emphasize Bush's anti-Enlightenment animus. Accusing the pope of trying to turn back the clock to the 1250s is a very gutsy move then, even by American standards. The closest President Bush ever gets to being a 1250s man is the occasional unflattering comparison to Genghis Khan.