"Here we are at debate #3, but has anyone heard a Republican besides Mitt Romney utter their one-time favorite word 'family?'"

National Review explained today why Romney is the family values candidate. Only the article was actually about how important the traditional family is to our core conservative principles.

For example, consider limited government: "[T]he foundation of limited government lies in strong, self-governing families. You only have to consider the last half century of social-welfare trends: just as divorce and nonmarital childbearing expanded, so too did the government programs and tax dollars needed to support them."

Law and Order: "Daniel Patrick Moynihan was an outlier when he observed over 40 years ago that crime is a marriage and fatherhood issue. Today, the idea that marriage plays a key role in turning boys into law-abiding young men has become the new social scientific consensus."

The American dream: "Republicans have long seen themselves as guardians of the American dream, working to insure that individuals and businesses can prosper in a free society. It’s clear by now that prosperity depends on strong families."

Give it a read. Thanks to Evangelical for Mitt for the link.