Reactions to Romney's speech continue, in the morning papers, in the Corner, around the blogosphere, in my e-mailbox, etc. The upside for Mitt Romney is that indeed, he has managed to command the spotlight for an entire week in a way that few candidates have in this campaign. And while some people were more impressed with the speech than others, there aren't many people saying, "he flopped."

I suspect that this may actually goose his poll numbers a bit, as it probably caused a few people who don't pay much attention to the race or to him to give him a longer look.

Gov. Romney’s speech was a magnificent reminder of the role religious faith must play in government and public policy. His delivery was passionate and his message was inspirational. Whether it will answer all the questions and concerns of Evangelical Christian voters is yet to be determined, but the governor is to be commended for articulating the importance of our religious heritage as it relates to today.

Mr. Romney gave the speech Thursday morning. How did he do?

Very, very well. He made himself some history. The words he said will likely have a real and positive impact on his fortunes. The speech's main and immediate achievement is that foes of his faith will now have to defend their thinking, in public. But what can they say to counter his high-minded arguments? "Mormons have cooties"?

Romney reintroduced himself to a distracted country--Who is that handsome man saying those nice things?--while defending principles we all, actually, hold close, and hold high.

This was the best speech of the campaign.

After viewing the speech, I have a new found respect for the good man, Mitt Romney. He delivered the speech brilliantly, sincerely and with grave respect. As I watched the speech I could picture Romney delivering it from the Oval Office. Romney has always seemed to have all the right qualities and stature to be the Republican nominee for 2008 but for some reason came off a little too slick. He doesn’t now.

Mitt Romney's "Faith in America" speech was simply magnificent, and anyone who denies it is not to be trusted as an analyst. On every level it was a masterpiece. The staging and Romney's delivery, the eclipse of all other candidates it caused, the domination of the news cycle just prior to the start of absentee voting in New Hampshire on Monday --for all these reasons and more it will be long discussed as a masterpiece of political maneuver.

I came to prefer Romney to my second choice candidate (Huckabee), because I think him better prepared intellectually to be President. I like Mike and think he was an effective governor of a small state, but Mitt Romney was forced to confront the intellectual culture of Massachusetts.

Mitt Romney had to wrestle with the intersection of our (mostly) secular intellectual elite and the governance of a (mostly) religious nation.

Someone wake me up! I could have sworn this was December 2007. But today in College Station, Texas, as I watched Mitt Romney deliver his long awaited faith speech with American flags draped behind him, it felt like January 2009.

At his worst, Romney has seemed a mere collection of political positions; in The Speech, he showed a core, a political soul. He partially wrote and then delivered a speech that was a deeply felt love poem to America, a defense and celebration of its religious vibrancy and world-shaping commitment to liberty. For this moment at least, the shrewd politician was replaced by the simple, unadorned patriot.

Romney will have a harder time dispelling doubts about his Mormonism than about his political character. Christians and secularists who consider Mormonism a cult whose adherents are unworthy of high political office won’t be moved by any speech. As for everyone else, what else do they need to know other than, as Romney put it, “When I place my hand on the Bible and take the oath of office, that oath becomes my highest promise to God”?

"He did what he needed to do"

"I happen to think that if it wasn’t the best speech of any of the candidates it was definitely in the top two or three."

If Mitt Romney wins the Republican nomination, it will be due in large measure to his splendid and moving defense of his faith and beliefs delivered today at the George Bush Presidential Library.

No longer is he that guy you're not sure believes anything. He's a decent, successful, experienced exec who gave a stirring speech about American greatness and wouldn't apologize for being a man of faith. A whole host of people seem to be giving him another look, have a newfound respect. The speech strikes me as a grand success. But we shall see.

Romney was also right that "every single human being is a child of God." This is at the root of the belief system of many liberals who are religious. Romney was echoing — unconsciously, to be sure — none other than Bill Clinton, who declared in a 1992 campaign speech that "all of us must respect the reflection of God's image in every man and woman."

Labels: mitt romney, the mormon speech, the speech

• Sidebar: "About 3 million Mormons world wide about 6 million in the US" Yikes, what is this 1995?! There are almost 13 million members of the church. For goodness sake all they needed to do was call an 801 area code number randomly. My 10 year old knows this!
• Sidebar: "Accept the Bible as scripture but not as final authority." What?! Where do they get this from? I don't even know what they're trying to imply. Anyone familiar with Mormon doctrine understands that the LDS church is led by a living prophet and relies on revelation. Ugh.
  
• Sidebar: "Smith published writings in the Book of Mormon" Ummm. Wrong again. Smith's writings were published in a tome called "Doctrine and Covenants". Regardless of your theory of the origin of the Book of Mormon its not right to call them "writings".

Labels: cnn, mitt romney, the mormon speech, the speech

	Item	Excerpt
	Call on the historical morality of the American Republic	"There are some who may feel that religion is not a matter to be seriously considered in the context of the weighty threats that face us. If so, they're at odds with the nation's founders, for they, when our nation faced its greatest peril, sought the blessings of the Creator. And further, they discovered the essential connection between the survival of a free land and the protection of religious freedom. In John Adams' words: 'We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion.' 'Our Constitution,' he said, 'was made for a moral and religious people.'
	Point out the deep-rooted connection between freedom and religion	"Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone."
	Affirm that religious leadership has no influence on policy	"Almost 50 years ago another candidate from Massachusetts explained that he was an American running for President, not a Catholic running for President. Like him, I am an American running for President. I do not define my candidacy by my religion. A person should not be elected because of his faith nor should he be rejected because of his faith. "Let me assure you that no authorities of my church, or of any other church for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions. Their authority is theirs, within the province of church affairs, and it ends where the affairs of the nation begin.
	Reassure Americans of a commitment to all groups	"As a young man, Lincoln described what he called America's 'political religion' – the commitment to defend the rule of law and the Constitution. When I place my hand on the Bible and take the oath of office, that oath becomes my highest promise to God. If I'm fortunate to become your President, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause, and no one interest. A President must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States.
	Strongly assert his own faith without qualification	"There are some for whom these commitments are not enough. They would prefer it if I would simply distance myself from my religion, say that it's more a tradition than my personal conviction, or disavow one or another of its precepts. That I will not do. I believe in my Mormon faith, and I endeavor to live by it. My faith is the faith of my fathers – I will be true to them and to my beliefs. "Some believe that such a confession of my faith will sink my candidacy. If they're right, so be it. But I think they underestimate the American people. Americans do not respect believers of convenience. Americans tire of those who would jettison their beliefs, even to gain the world.
	Acknowledge differences in the faiths	"There is one fundamental question about which I often am asked. What do I believe about Jesus Christ? I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. My church's beliefs about Christ may not all be the same as those of other faiths. Each religion has its own unique doctrines and history. These are not bases for criticism but rather a test of our tolerance. Religious tolerance would be a shallow principle indeed if it were reserved only for faiths with which we agree.
	Call on Article VI	"There are some who would have a presidential candidate describe and explain his church's distinctive doctrines. To do so would enable the very religious test the founders prohibited in the Constitution. No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith. For if he becomes President he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths.
	"Common Creed"	"It's important to recognize that while differences in theology exist between the churches in America, we share a common creed of moral convictions. And where the affairs of our nation are concerned, it's usually a sound rule to focus on the latter – on the great moral principles that urge us all on a common course. Whether it was the cause of abolition, or civil rights, or the right to life itself, no movement of conscience can succeed in America that cannot speak to the convictions of religious people.
	Decry the slide towards secularism	"Our greatness would not long endure without judges who respect the foundation of faith upon which our Constitution rests. I will take care to separate the affairs of government from any religion, but I will not separate us from 'the God who gave us liberty.'"
	Call upon the common heritage of religious traditions across denominations.	"Nor would I separate us from our religious heritage. Perhaps the most important question to ask a person of faith who seeks a political office, is this: does he share these American values: the equality of human kind, the obligation to serve one another, and a steadfast commitment to liberty? "They're not unique to any one denomination. They belong to the great moral inheritance we hold in common. They're the firm ground on which Americans of different faiths meet and stand as a nation, united."
	Take a swing at big government while we're at it	"The consequence of our common humanity is our responsibility to one another, to our fellow Americans foremost, but also to every child of God. It's an obligation which is fulfilled by Americans every day, here and across the globe, without regard to creed or race or nationality. "Americans acknowledge that liberty is a gift of God, not an indulgence of government.
	The fruits of my faith are my family	"My faith is grounded on these truths. You can witness them in Ann and my marriage and in our family. We are a long way from perfect and we have surely stumbled along the way, but our aspirations, our values, are the self-same as those from the other faiths that stand upon this common foundation. And these convictions will indeed inform my presidency.
	Contrast American faith with Europe's dwindling congregations	"I'm not sure that we fully appreciate the profound implications of our tradition of religious liberty. I've visited many of the magnificent cathedrals in Europe. They are so inspired, so grand, and so empty. Raised up over generations, long ago, so many of the cathedrals now stand as the postcard backdrop to societies just too busy or too 'enlightened' to venture inside and kneel in prayer. The establishment of state religions in Europe did no favor to Europe's churches. And though you will find many people of strong faith there, the churches themselves seem to be withering away.
	Close with a great historical story	"Recall the early days of the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia, during the fall of 1774. With Boston occupied by British troops, there were rumors of imminent hostilities and fears of an impending war. In this time of peril, someone suggested that they pray. But there were objections. 'They were too divided in religious sentiments', what with Episcopalians and Quakers, Anabaptists and Congregationalists, Presbyterians and Catholics. "Then Sam Adams rose, and said he would hear a prayer from anyone of piety and good character, as long as they were a patriot. "And so together they prayed, and together they fought, and together, by the grace of God, they founded this great nation."

Labels: Mormon, mormonism, the mormon speech, the speech

• Romney & Co. know what needs to be addressed
• They've had a year to prepare for the speech (if not longer)
  
• All cameras will be his for one night and the press will be his for the rest of the week
• This gives people an excuse to move their vote to Romney and save face
• If he does well, the momentum could prove the turning point in this campaign
  

1. Ignorance of Mormonism, and resulting distrust or suspicion of Romney by people who generally lack malice;
2. Distrust of Mormonism by others with serious theological differences who believe such differences actually have something to do with choosing a presidential candidate;
3. The belief (held by many who are also in category no. 2) that Mormonism is a serious menace to society and to the eternal salvation of mankind, and that electing a Mormon president would only serve to legitimize that menace;
4. Outright bigotry by those who really hate Mormonism, either from religious conservatives who see the faith as an all-too-successful competitors for parishioners, or left-wing bigots like Jacob Weisberg who dispute any belief in the miraculous;
5. Last, but perhaps most important in this context, politicians and their consultants (Huckabee for now, certainly Clinton in the general election, if Romney is nominated), who see an opening here and are exploiting it. This category is the most disgusting of them all.

Labels: mitt romney, mormonism, the mormon speech, the speech