Romney Faith Speech?
LAST WEEK
A Muslim in Romney’s Cabinet? Probably Not.
BC-A New York financier calls for a Muslim to be appointed to the next president’s Cabinet and relates an interesting reply when he put that issue to Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.
Mansoor Ijaz, who describes himself as an American-born Muslim whose family came from Pakistan, writes in an opinion piece in today’s Christian Science Monitor that he attended a private fund-raiser this month for Romney in Las Vegas. Ijaz says he asked Romney whether he would consider a Muslim for a national security post in his Cabinet, since he says radical jihad is the biggest threat facing America.
According to Ijaz, Romney said that based on the proportion of Muslims in the US population, a Cabinet post would not be “justified,” though he could “imagine” Muslims serving in lower-level jobs in his administration.
NOW
Faith In America
ROMNEY SPEECH
…”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…..
“Given our grand tradition of religious tolerance and liberty, some wonder whether there are any questions regarding an aspiring candidate’s religion that are appropriate. I believe there are. And I will answer them today.
Ron Paul: Romney’s Faith Should Not be an Issue
“We live in times of great uncertainty when men of faith must stand up for American values and traditions before they are washed away in a sea of fear and relativism. I have never been one who is particularly comfortable talking about my faith in the political arena, and I find the pandering that typically occurs in the election season to be distasteful.
UPDATE
Romney Spokesman Won’t Say If Atheists Have Place In America
I do believe in God and think our Country was based on faith in God. With that said, nothing in the constitution forces anyone to believe in any particular religion or be forced to believe in God. Do we really want to be a theocracy like Iraq?
TPM-A spokesman for the Mitt Romney campaign is thus far refusing to say whether Romney sees any positive role in America for atheists and other non-believers, after Election Central inquired about the topic yesterday
It’s a sign that Romney may be seeking to submerge evangelical distaste for Mormonism by uniting the two groups together in a wider culture war. Romney’s speech has come under some criticism, even from conservatives like David Brooks and Ramesh Ponnuru, for positively mentioning many prominent religions but failing to include anything positive about atheists and agnostics.
I don’t know which is more silly: asking if a Muslim might be considered for a national security post or actually answering it as if a man or woman’s religion would play a part in the selection process.
We already tried faith-based foreign affairs and it just doesn’t work.
Mitt’s speech was one of, if not the best given during this campaign. It should end all negative discussion about his choice of religious belief.
Best line — “Americans acknowledge that liberty is a gift of God, not an indulgence of government.”
What a shame that a candidate in the 21st century must step up to defend his faith in God. Romney did so with class, character and indisputable resolve.
Actually, what Mr Romney was defending was his right to privacy in his religious beliefs.
See, the GOPers don’t believe that people shouldn’t have to testify to their religious beliefs in order to be considered for high office.
bb,
The religion talk is going to continue because the GOP is all about religion. What other party has candidates that think religion should be taught as science?
caroline,
The dems who worship at the alter of purple bankclimber mussels and redwood forests. The eco-fundies rule your party and will be the cause of its demise next year…bet on it!
Cheney/Satan ‘08 !