A negative reaction to Romney’s speech

I have not yet read or seen Mitt Romney’s speech and will be able to do so until tonight, so I offer no opinion yet on the following critical comment by RWM. When I do, I might entirely disagree with him. But it’s a clearly expressed well-reasoned position and I present it as such, pending further discussion.

RWM writes:

Romney seemed impressive in some recent interviews I’ve seen. However, his speech today as discussed in the Washington Times forecloses the possibility I can vote for him. Because of his position as a member of a religious minority, he holds very liberal statements on religion. Based on this, he cannot be trusted to defend America from Muslims, and it calls into doubt his ability to defend an historical America from any threat.

He apparently believes that God is honored by all faiths (and that all who pray are praying to the same god). He admires attributes of all faiths, including Islam. He apparently believes that religious tolerance (non-discrimination in the form of inability to make important distinctions) is an essential, and perhaps highest American value. This sounds a bit too close to the notion that the “terrorists” will win if they force us to be less tolerant of the religion in whose name they seek to kill us. By this speech, this man is signaling that he will not depart from the “right-liberal” view of Islam and terrorism. If for no other reason, I’m glad he was pressed on his religion.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at December 06, 2007 02:40 PM | Send