Jon Martin at the Politico: [1]
Halperin has the big news [2]: Mitt Romney will take to to the Bush Library in College Station, Texas, on Thursday to give a long-anticipated, much-debated speech about his Mormon faith and the role of religion in American public life.
Says a Romney adviser to The Page:
“The governor believes this is the right moment. He believes it is the right time to address the nation on the issue of religious liberty and how that principle is a fundamental part of our nation’s greatness.”
Asked why the decision was made, Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said in an e-mail that “it’s an important topic, and Gov. Romney has decided that he wants to address it, and that now is the time to do it.”
The speech comes as Romney has slipped in Iowa to Mike Huckabee, a Baptist preacher who is drawing support in part because of his faith and that of Romney.
I’d guess this timing has something to do with all the negative phone calls [3] I see coming from the Huckabee camp of late.
That said, it’s my take that Romney in his speech will make the case that we shouldn’t be holding his Mormonism against him, any more than we held JFK’s (rather loosely held) Catholicism against HIM.
In the doing, he’ll likely as not invoke the concept of religious liberty. However, do not be confused… there’s a difference between religious liberty where the government is concerned, and the people not wanting to elect a Mormon to the presidency… these are two separate issues. The isues get confused when they get conflated. While it may (Or may not) serve Romney’s short term purposes to do so, it doesn’t serve the country, or the culture, in the longer term.
As for other things he might say, Stop the ACLU comments: [4]
My major contentions with Romney have nothing to do with his religion. My apprehensions have to do with not knowing where he really stands on anything. A speech on his religion isn’t going to make a difference on what I think of him and I don’t think it will change many, if any, minds of other Americans. Most folks that hold his religion against him already know what Mormons believe. Even if they are confused by misconceptions on what Mormans believe, a speech won’t change their minds.
I tend to agree, which is why I think this speech is going to be directed at Huckabee’s attacks, and little more. This is something which wouldn’t come up at all, save for Preacher Huckabee going negative on the point. I’m non-plussed with Huckabee to begin with and his constant leftward tilt, and this nonsense isn’t helping.
As you might expect, Memeorandum has a few links up on this, already.