Bill Kristol forwards a friend's response to Romney's speech today:
In an often impressive and probably effective speech, there is one paragraph that may (and perhaps should) cause Romney some trouble: 'I believe that every faith I have encountered draws its adherents closer to God. And in every faith I have come to know, there are features I wish were in my own: I love the profound ceremony of the Catholic Mass, the approachability of God in the prayers of the Evangelicals, the tenderness of spirit among the Pentecostals, the confident independence of the Lutherans, the ancient traditions of the Jews, unchanged through the ages, and the commitment to frequent prayer of the Muslims.'
This is mostly anodyne, sounding like what a college freshman would write if he had to write one nice thing about every religion. And if Romney had simply said, 'One doesn't have to share the particular faith to be impressed with the profound ceremony of the Catholic Mass ... etc., etc.,' no one would have thought much of it - though the tone might still strike the various religions or religious groups mentioned as a bit condescending. But, in typical Romney fashion, doesn't he go a bridge too far when he says, 'And in every faith I have come to know, there are features I wish were in my own: I love the profound ceremony ... etc., etc.'?
Romney 'wishes' his own faith had these 'features'? What does that mean? He presumably doesn't 'wish' his own faith incorporated what these features signify (e.g., in the case of the Jews' unchanged traditions, that there has been no new revelation, or revelations), since that would change the meaning of his faith. And should Romney really be telling us what he allegedly 'loves' about other people's religions? I thought all this dissecting of the beliefs and practices of particular religious belief is supposed to be inappropriate for American political leaders.
The initial reaction to Romney's speech has been overwhelmingly positive. But it's possible that elements in the speech like that mentioned above may produce second- or third-day stories that could complicate the Romney campaign's narrative of its candidate's triumph over his alleged "religion problem."
