"Christian values" and new respect for Romney

We're so accustomed to Mitt Romney's shifting stance to accommodate the changing tides that I find myself amazed -- and feeling a bit of respect -- after his speech at the Values Voters Summit yesterday.

As background, the day before Romney's appearance, a senior Baptist pastor from Dallas who was chosen to introduce Rick Perry later told reporters that Mormons are not Christians and therefore can't go to heaven. Asked if he would vote for Romney if he is the nominee, he said: “I’ll hold my nose and vote for Mitt Romney. . . . I would rather have a non-Christian who embraces Christian principles [Romney] than a professing Christian who governs by un-Biblical principles [Obama].”

In addition, the speaker scheduled to follow Romney on the program was another radical evangelical preacher who railed against the threat of Sharia law being imposed on the U.S., said that homosexuality is a threat to public health, that Mormons are not Christian, and that we have not had another major terrorist attack on U.S. soil because crowds often sing "God Bless America" at baseball games during the 7th inning stretch.

Wow !!! If only it were that simple to protect us from terrorists, we wouldn't need the vast, expensive and invasive Department of Homeland Security.

That's the climate that Romney went into. And here's what he said:

"Our values ennoble the citizen and strengthen the nation. We should remember that decency and civility are values, too. One of the speakers who will follow me today has crossed that line, I think. Poisonous language doesn't advance our cause. It's never softened a single heart nor changed a single mind."

Bravo !! Romney just moved up a notch in my respect.

Well, not all that far. The cynic in me looks at his record of pandering. Perhaps he was really sending a message to less radical conservatives and independent voters, knowing that he's not ever going to be the first choice of the crowd he was addressing. Maybe the religious right will "hold their nose and vote" for him if he is the nominee, and the GOP power brokers and right-leaning independent voters will credit him with courage and leadership.

In fact, with this speech, he might just have locked up the nomination, although there will still be a lively and acrimonious campaign to go through with Perry and, for a while, Cain too.

He will also be a more formidable candidate for Obama to beat, I believe.

Ralph