Religion and Dirty Tricks

During George W. Bush's presidency the left ran articles warning that his Middle East policies were influenced by his being an evangelical Christian. Supposedly Bush's support for Israel was nothing more than an attempt to satisfy the preconditions for the End Times. People who actually knew Bush said that this was ridiculous but the accusations still received wide play.

I am seeing the same sort of thing about Mitt Romney - that he is trying to fulfill some Mormon prophesy. The source of this and other rumors against Romney is probably the Obama campaign.

The Clintons assembled an efficient dirty tricks squad. It was used effectively to deflect revelations about Bill's many affairs. Hillary used it in her run for president four years ago. The rumor that Barrack Obama is a secret Muslim was traced back to her campaign. Obama inherited the squad and used it against McCain and Palin. Their attacks on McCain never went beyond "He's old" but their attacks on Palin were spectacularly effective. She was introduced as McCain's running mate just before the Republican convention and by the end of the convention she was denying that she had faked her pregnancy.

Last Summer the Obama campaign let it be known that they considered Romney their most dangerous opponent. Their counter-strategy was to define Romney as "different" and "strange" meaning Mormon.

And here we are, months later with stories circulating about how strange the Mormons are. Granted, Mormons do have some strange beliefs, but by that standard then so do Gingrich and Santorum. Since both are practicing Catholics then both believe that an old German in Rome with connections to the Nazis has a direct line to God.

All of this is incredibly un-American. The Founders were so against a religious test for holding office that they put it in the main body of the Constitution instead of the Bill of Rights.

That is what the whisper campaign against Romney amounts to - a religious test. And it is exactly what the Obama campaign said they would do.