Huh?

Mitt Romney is falling behind in the polls, so he announced today, from the presidential library of former President George H.W. Bush in College Station, TX, that if elected the Mormon Church would not run the White House. I had no idea this was an issue. Well, I mean I understood that it was probably a problem in Iowa, were the professed religious beliefs of various candidates might be question. But for the rest of us, Romney's religious affiliation is less important than the economy, the growing police state in the US, or even global warming.

The problem, of course, is that vocal, but minority, Christian evangelicals, who profess to believe in the separation of church and state, want to make sure that no non-Christian sits in the White House. Romeny has spent millions building up a lead in Iowa, only to see it evaporate to Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee. And nobody is asking Huckabee if his religious affiliations will somehow overlap with my civil liberties on the slim chance that he wins the White House next year. As governor of Arkansas, Huckabee personally supported the release of a convicted rapist, which just shows you how far we have come when George Dukakus was crucified for the release of a convicted murdered (and he had no part in the release). To bolster his claim of innocence, Huckabee claims that all four parole board members have lied about his role in putting a convicted racist back out on the streets. But at least Huckabee is a good Christian.

I won't be voting for either Romney or Huckabee and not because of their religious affiliations (or lack thereof). I actually think there's something more important than which flavor of the Christian god these guys worship. But the entire controversy highlights the lengths Republicans will go to rather than speak on issues that are important.

The question of religion was a hot issue in 1959, when John F. Kennedy ran for office. I'm not at all sure that the question is so important today for the rest of us. On the other hand, Mitt seems really dedicated to portraying himself as a latterday JFK, so maybe this is just more of the same. Personally, I think whatever people do in the privacy of their own church, prayer tent, synagogue or mosque is their own business--and should stay that way.