What I was saying is not that Ratzinger has no track record within the Vatican, my point is that he still lacks political track record as a statesman. As to whether he is a hard liner, there is no doubt about that.
On the other hand, one could argue that hard liners were bound to take the lead within the Catholic Church if only to be credible towards Muslim assertiveness.
This is not something I approve of, but once again, Churches (or whatever you name them) are secular institutions in charge of ensuring that the religion they claim to represent does not extinct. That's all this is about, not about faith.  

When through hell, just keep going. W. Churchill