Mormon Mitt’s faith stale topic

The News Virginian / News Virginian
Published: December 8, 2007

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney reached for a Kennedy moment Thursday on the topic of personal religion. The balance for which Romney aimed was a delicate one: seeking to convince Americans that his Mormonism would not influence his presidency while also upholding the importance of religion in public life.

While the political necessity of Romney's speech from College Station, Texas, was obvious, we have heard nothing from him so far to indicate his religion should be a consideration. Further, the history of the presidency in the last half-century has not shown religion - at least in the sense of leaders adhering to a set of denominational doctrines - to have a significant impact on presidencies.

President Reagan, for example, made frequent references to God and was a favorite of evangelicals, but skipped church most Sunday mornings. President Clinton made regular showings at church, Bible in hand, especially when the heat of scandal was burning hot. He remains a focal point of evangelicals' ire.

Kennedy's Catholicism was hardly detectable during his shortened stay in the White House. Most of us remember his days there for the Cuban missile crisis and Marilyn Monroe airily singing "Happy Birthday." Try to think of a significant Catholic moment in Kennedy's tenure. We can't come up with one.

Religion surely affects values, which inform decisions and thus policies. Most of us want a president whose values are similar to our own, so values - and as a consequence, religion - matter. But only to a point. Values are a significant part of the presidential equation, but there are plenty of people with strong values who are not up to the task of running America.

We additionally need a leader who can show calm amid crisis, make difficult decisions for the good of our country and exhibit the intelligence needed to navigate well a roiling sea of pressures from outside our borders and within them. The big question is, will the candidate make America a better place-

If a candidate's religion potentially conflicted with that rough job description or significantly clashed with quintessential American values, then it is a topic worth exploring further. Romney's speech should help allay concerns on these points.

"Let me assure you," Romney said, "that no authorities of my church, or of any other church for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions."

Whether Romney is the right man to lead America is a question we have not yet resolved. The real campaign has yet to begin. But the question of religion, based on what we know now, appears moot. Let's put aside the religion issue and listen to answers on the more pressing questions - what to do about Iraq, runaway spending, health care and illegal immigration, for example.

The last time we checked, after all, this campaign is for president, not church pastor. Otherwise, Mike Huckabee, the Arkansas Republican and former Southern Baptist minister, already might have the job.