Article VI Blog

Is McCain “making himself over?” (Lowell looked at this yesterday) Mark Daniels is not so sure. He is willing to go to Bob Jones University, which I find fascinating - it wasn’t a great move for Bush, and he had legit Evangelical credentials. For the uninformed, BJU is not Evangelical - it’s fundamentalist. But when I heard this, the big question for me was “Would BJU even invite a Mormon?” - I have sent an email and asked - we’ll see….

It’s not news that Katrina response was politically damaging to President Bush, despite this story trying to make news out of it. But this observation is fascinating:

Conservative commentator Jonah Goldberg believes that “there is a hunger for competence out there,” that Americans long “for a problem-solver on a white horse (as) a response to Bush’s record.” In fact, some ‘08 presidential hopefuls - such as Democrat Mark Warner and Republican Mitt Romney - tout their gubernatorial records as proof that they know how to roll up their sleeves to get things done.

Look, Romney had his own small scale disasters to solve in the Big Dig, and the flooding a few weeks before, and he’s done well to date, but do you honestly think his reactions were political moves calculated to distance himself from Bush? And ask yourself this, what former or current governor that has run for President doesn’t tout their records? What else do they have to run on?

Lowell adds: Meanwhile, this interview has appeared on the official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It addresses this question: What is the position of the Church on same-gender attraction and same-gender marriage? The interviewees are Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church, and Elder Lance B. Wickman, a member of the Seventy. For those unfamiliar with LDS organization, both men are called “General Authorities” of the Church. Elder Oaks is a former president of BYU, Utah Supreme Court justice, and law professor at the University of Chicago. As an apostle, he is one of the highest authorities of the Church. Elder Wickman is General Counsel to the Church, and prior to his call as a General Authority was a prominent attorney in California at one of the largest law firms in the USA.

The interview will be added to our Resources page. It seems extraordinarily long and detailed, and probably reflects a decision by the Church to make a comprehensive statement on the Church’s position on the issues involved. It is not an easy read, even for those steeped in LDS doctrine. So why are we posting it here? Because Romney’s position on same-sex marriage will inevitably raise questions about his faiths’s views and how they may be influencing him. We will all probably see references to this interview in future news stories about Romney and homosexuality-related issues.

I found the interview thanks to this post on an LDS blog. If you review the comments (of which there are 386 at this writing), you’ll get a sense of the diversity and intensity of views and opinions within the LDS community on what I consider to be deeply sensitive and complex issues.

John Updates: The Washington Times opines on ‘08 Veep possibilities and concludes that “the Mormon question” qualifies Romeny for the #2 slot.

But that, in turn, provides an opportunity: With Mr. Romney in the No. 2 slot, the “Mormon issue,” such as it is, would play itself out nationally but without the stress of the top slot aggravating the question. It is especially true of Mr. Romney that he would be more plausible as a presidential candidate with a national run for veep behind him.

That’s ducking the question in my opinion. Again, I find myself thinking “The Question” is either real - in which case the slot does not make a darn bit of difference - or it’s ginned up by political opposition to keep Romney down. If the latter, that’s just dirty poltics - fight on the issues - that’s how Republicans are supposed to play the game.

Lowell: All presidential candidates, especially first-timers, have a v.p. run in the backs of their minds. It’s simply a possibility that has to be considered. The difference here is the reason for the suggestion that Romney is best-suited for the second spot on the ticket:Â It is not that he lacks experience, or that he’s not sufficiently well-known to run for president; it is his religion. Can you imagine the same suggestion being made regarding another candidate because of his Jewishness, or her gender?
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