The American question

Here they are:
Raymond Burke, head of the Apostolic Signature
Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston
Timothy Dolan of New York
Francis E. George of Chicago
James M. Harvey, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls
William Levada, retired prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Roger M. Mahony, retired archbishop of Los Angeles
Edwin O'Brien, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre
Sean O'Malley of Boston
Justin F. Rigali, retired archbishop of Philadelphia
Donald W. Wuerl of Washington

I'm just going to say this right out front, no Italian would ever vote for +Dolan.  Period.  He's too "American."  I know that upsets a lot of US Catholics but his style fits in New York, but no so much in the Eternal City.  Etiquette matters to Europeans, and for all his strengths Dolan just does not have it.  It seems like it would be a King Ralph situation.  In addition, in this day and age it does not seem at all likely that someone outside of Rome with no Vatican experience would be elected.  Twitter accounts, blogs, media appearances, these are all useful things but have nothing to do with who will be elected the next pope. 

+Harvey the Milwaukee native was involved(perhaps unknowingly) in the "vatileaks" scandal.  Reports also say that Cardinal Burke has replaced Harvey as Pope Benedict's go to guy on American appointments.  It would seem his star has set, although he's only 62.

+Levada has the experience but is probably too old(76 years).  I don't know, but then again he's got the experience.

There is really only one American that ..... will probably get at least a few votes at the conclave ..... and that is one Cardinal Raymond Burke. The man may have gotten booed on the floor of the USCCB, but there are only 10 other Americans voting. There's a few things you should know about the Cardinal. Fact: Italians love Burke. He is well thought of in the Roman Curia. He was the first non-European named to head the Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. Also member of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, the Congregation for the Clergy, the Congregation for Bishops, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and the Council of Cardinals and Bishops of the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State.  Basically Cardinal Burke is involved with a whole lot that is going on in Rome.  If there is one American who has been prepared by two popes now to ascend to the throne, it's the farm boy from Richland Center, Wisconsin.

Will local media do any stories on this?  Probably not, maybe MKE JS will, especially since Harvey is also a possibility. 

Thomas Peters agrees that Burke is the most likely American.  We'll wait to see what the talking heads say on the news but they did have Ratzinger on the short list leading up to the last election.  But I've already seen someone on Twitter say no way to Burke because he is "divisive." Funny, that's precisely what they said about a man by the name of Joseph Ratzinger a few years ago.   As to the rest of the Americans, just dropping someone into the chair on top of Rome without some experience I think would seem to a voting cardinal as a dangerous situation.  It has got to be someone who knows the inner workings of the Church and her politics.  I don't think that Burke would be the most likely candidate but if there is any American listed, it is this guy.