Why conservatives are going nuclear on Pope Francis

The right is lashing out at the pope on the eve of his first visit to the U.S.

Pope Francis in Cuba

Remember when American conservatives swooned over papal pronouncements, combed through encyclicals for arguments to help them wage the culture war, and saw pontiffs as allies in the geopolitical fight for democratic capitalism and against communist totalitarianism?

Yeah, me too. It wasn't that long ago. But boy does it feel like an eternity.

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Damon Linker

Damon Linker is a senior correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also a former contributing editor at The New Republic and the author of The Theocons and The Religious Test.