Today’s Reading List – October 24, 2006 | Article VI Blog

I am fascinated by the fact that the Beeb has reported on Hillary and now Obama, but nothing about Romney, McCain, Guliani, etc. The Beeb is supposed to be neutral. Lowell: There's some recent rather compelling evidence to the contrary, however . . . .

Listen to James Dobson interview Ann Coulter. (HT: The Thinklings) He sure is nice to her. I don't get it. He'll slobber all over that shrill woman, but a reasonable Romney? I guess the lesson is, if you are a Dobson Evangelical, better nominally creedal and just rude than Mormon and nice. I think they call that niche marketing. Thus Dobson reduces himself to irrelevancy.

The Washington Times looks at books on religion and politcs. Oh, yeah and some comments from the former German Chancellor. Take close note – NO RELATION!

It's over, except in the minds of MSM'ers that cannot bear the fact of a Romney that has successfully maneuvered himself into leading presidential candidate status.

Lowell: Scott Lehigh of the Boston Globe doesn't know it's over yet. His op-ed piece today triumphantly refers to the Globe's articles of last week, which are full of unwarranted assumptions and unsupported conclusions, as if they were holy writ. Especially charming is Lehigh's reference to Romney as "Slick Willard." (Romney's first name is Willard.) Couldn't they at least come up with something original? Next thing you know they'll be calling him "Tricky Mitt." The Globe's animosity toward Romney is embarrassingly palpable.

Update by Lowell: Here's an interesting perspective on the Globe controversy from Ron Scott, a writer who knows some of the players involved. I am more forgiving than Ron is about the involvement of LDS leaders and others in the story, but I think he is exactly right when he says:

Once Romney announces his candidacy, every cynical "vehicle" that violates the spirit of the law will be scrutinized under high-powered microscopes. Count on it!

I don't agree that anything cynical went on here, or that the spirit of the law was violated; but it's the appearance that matters, and Romney and his people will need to be very careful about appearances, regardless of the reality. Without a doubt, the Globe articles will not be the last we see of MSM probes into the inner workings of Mormon culture and its interaction with the Romney campaign.

Update 2 by Lowell: For those interested, here's a set of links to the flurry of related news media activity in Utah, where, not surprisingly, much more detailed information is being generated.

Heather MacDonald is back once again decrying the role of religion in conservative politics as it leaves no room for the secular conservative. There should be room for secular conservatives, but religion is not what squeezes them out. That honor belongs to small-minded, near bigoted, exclusively religious conservatism. You know, the kind that would not vote for a Mormon, or a Jew, or a Hindu…. I think that's a minority form of religious conservatism. What I wonder, though, since she has been banging this drum a while, is whether there is room in the secular conservative's world for religious conservatives?

Jeb Bush supporting Romney. Given his brother's current approval ratings, is this good? I really like President Bush, but I think I am in the minority. Lowell: I may be mistaken, but I think Jeb has better ratings than W.

Harvard steps in the right(!) direction when it comes to religion in public discourse. Although, I am forced to wonder if its hubris thinking they will "disprove" religion.

A glimpse of the future?