Calling shots as he sees them …

… Sam Tanenhaus on Garry Wills: The American mind. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

In many cases, it seems, Wills's views are  less predictable that I had come to think. Funny, though, that he attends Mass and says the rosary, but apparently (at least judging by a recent interview with Stephen Colbert) doesn't believe in the Real Presence, which is as central a Catholic doctrine as I can think of. In fact, he doesn't believe in the Eucharist — he calls it "a fake."  I am not even sure he believes in the doctrine of atonement. So what exactly does he believe in that makes him think he can speak authoritatively about a church whose key doctrines he rejects? I guess he believes in God — else, why pray? And what is it about the Mass that makes him feel obligated to attend?