Yesterday's meeting between President Obama and Benedict XVI didn't turn into the "hope meets pope" event anticipated by Obama's Catholic supporters, but it was a good day for both the president and the pope.

Obama got what he wanted -- the perception of a warm, cordial welcome from the head of the Roman Catholic Church.  

Benedict XVI also got what he wanted: A meeting with the still-popular Obama who supports some of his aims -- particularly in the Middle East -- and an opportunity to remind Obama that life issues still top the list of Catholic concerns, regardless of the president's fondness of Cardinal Bernardin's "seamless garment."

Immediately after the meeting, the Vatican issued a statement making it clear that abortion and bioethics were the first things the pope discussed with the president. As if to add an exclamation point to that discussion, Benedict XVI gave Obama an "unannounced"gift, a copy of the 2008 bioethics document, "Dignitas Personae," which carries the opening line:

The dignity of the human person must be recognized in every human being from conception to natural death.

These gestures made it impossible for Obama's supporters to put an overly-enthusiastic spin on the meeting.  The White House discovered that the Vatican has its own resources when it comes to handling the media, in spite of all its recent snafus in that department. Someone made sure the Vatican controlled the message and, as a result, all of the coverage I have seen has been quite balanced and reasonable.  

I think that the president made one mistake in his meeting with the pope: Obama, once again, brought up his promise of abortion reduction.  This puts him on the public record with the Holy Father, something that may come back to haunt him later.

No one really believes the nonsense about abortion reduction, certainly not prelates like Cardinal Regali who has already pointed out how it contradicts Obama's plan to provide federal funding for abortions in Washington, D.C.   

It has already been pointed out that Obama's real promise is to reduce the "need" for abortion by reducing poverty among mothers who seek abortion for economic reasons. 

Thus, the Obama administration does not have to target abortion per se, but only pursue his anti-poverty programs.  With a 10% unemployment rate, and climbing, even if there is a strong correlation between poverty and abortion, the Obama plan won't be bearing fruit anytime soon.  

Abortion is more about ideology than economics. Obama has loudly articulated that ideology his entire career, as have all his appointees. There is every reason to believe that abortions will increase during his presidency, much to the delight of supporters like NARAL and Planned Parenthood.