Mitt Romney gave a terrific speech on "Faith in America" today. There are a lot of nit-pickers, but I thought it was easily the best speech of this political season and will go a long way toward making him an acceptable candidate to all Republicans.
Judge for yourself:
Here's the transcript if you want to read along.
UPDATE:
None of the criticism I have heard since the speech was given in any way changes my mind regarding its excellence. Essentially the critics make three points -- all of them irrelevant:
1) Romney did not reconcile Mormon and mainstream Christian theological differences. This matters not one whit to the people who will actually be voting on the candidates, although sitting around in the seminary it might be an excellent discussion topic. This was a political speech, not a theological dissertation.
2) By speaking forthrightly on the subject of his religious beliefs Romney has legitimized the subject as a topic of intensive analysis by the media. He should have just kept quiet and hoped that they would respect his privacy in this regard. What crap! The MSM was always going to have a field day with Mormon history and theology and would have used any excuse to indulge in an orgy of negative coverage and ridicule. Romney's statement changed nothing in this regard.
3) Romney did not include atheists in his "symphony of faith." So what? Few atheists are Republicans and none is likely to ever cast a vote for a conservative Mormon. Moreover, the atheist position is generally resented and reviled among the voters whom Romney is attempting to reach. Including them would have done him no good and would have opened him to criticism from the Republican base.
