Mitt Romney knew months ago (before his campaign began, really) that at some point he would have to make a “Mormon speech” and this was the best he could do?  Romney had all this time to formulate a talk that would convert conservative Christians to his side or at least remove his Mormon faith as an obstacle and he failed miserably.  There were several miscalculations that kept this speech from being effective.

Romney invoked the memory of JFK in saying the Mormon Church would not have a hand in his administration.  In 1960 (also in Texas) Kennedy assuaged fears that a Catholic President would be nothing more than a tool for the Vatican.  But JFK was addressing the real fears of Protestants in the electorate at the time.  They feared the Pope would be calling the shots behind the scenes.  The people who are uncomfortable with the idea of a Mormon in the White House are not fearful of a group of LDS elders holding court in the West Wing barking orders at President Mitt.  Rather, evangelical Christians have very deep doctrinal differences with Latter Day Saints.  Is there really a Trinity?  Did Adam actually make the right choice in the Garden of Eden?  Can individual Mormons become gods?  Perhaps there was no speech Romney could have given that would have bridged this gap, but he needed to try.  Many evangelicals believe if he deviates so radically from conservative orthodoxy on doctrine then they can’t hand him the keys to the White House.  Whether that is fair or not is irrelevant because it’s their reality.

Also, in preaching religious tolerance in his speech Romney assumes the people who are gravitating toward Mike Huckabee are doing so purely because Mitt is a Mormon.  Wrong!  There are many evangelical Christians in the Republican Party that are heading to the former Arkansas governor because they view him as the authentic conservative (though this is open for debate).  They view Romney as a recent convert to the pro-life cause (something he has all but admitted) and with at least two Supreme Court nominations waiting for the next President they don’t want to hand the choice to a guy they’re not sure they can count on.  Orrin Hatch is a darling of these same conservatives, though he too is a Mormon.  Why do they feel comfortable with him and not Romney?  It’s very simple.  He’s always been conservative on the issues that matter to them.  It’s tough to get past that YouTube video of Romney during the Ted Kennedy debate.

I applaud Romney’s effort and the theater of making the speech at George Bush 41’s library.  If you call central casting and ask for a guy to play the President, Romney would always fit the bill.  He seems like a good family man and is exceedingly successful in business.  He’d probably be a good President.  If he gets the chance it won’t be because of this speech.

UPDATE: Steyn, Limbaugh, Hannity, and Medved approved of the speech, but don't forget "arch-conservative" Eleanor Clift .