Santorum's martyr complex
Is Rick Santorum suffering for his faith? One of his advisers suggested to the Washington Examiner's Byron York that he is, and that Mitt Romney is getting absolution. "Why is Mormonism off limits?" York quotes the adviser as asking. "We're having to spend days answering questions about Rick's faith, which he has been open about. Romney will turn on a dime when you talk about religion. We're getting asked about specific tenets of Rick's faith, and when Romney says, 'I want to focus on the economy,' [the press says,] 'OK, we'll focus on the economy.' "
In this Lenten season we are called upon to be generous of spirit, so let's start there. The Santorum campaign is under siege. Mitt Romney and his backers are dropping millions of dollars in ads on his head. He's being called to account for everything he's said for his entire career in an atmosphere that doesn't allow for reasoned discussion. The press accounts of some of his recent comments, like his remark about Obama's phony theology, have cast him in the worst possible light before letting him clarify.
Now, this claim is nuts. Rick Santorum isn't being asked about his faith. He's being asked about statements that have come out of his own mouth about contraception, prenatal screening, and man's dominion over earth. Even if we stipulate that the press is asking a disproportionate number of questions about these issues--instead of, say, his manufacturing plan or position on Syria--the questions I've heard haven't been about papal infallibility or the Catechism. When the press want to ask gotcha questions about doctrinal matters, they ignore everything the candidate actually talks about and ask about evolution--as they regularly did with Mike Huckabee during the 2008 race.
This is a dodge. And when you make a dodge of faith, you cheapen it--not the least because you make the plea seem like just another political move. It's not the first time in this election season. While in South Carolina, Anita Perry said of her husband's suffering campaign: "We are being brutalized by our opponents and our own party. So much of that is, I think ... because of his faith." Forgive me Father: hogwash. Perry had rough treatment not because of his faith but because he was a bad presidential candidate. It was particularly striking that Mrs. Perry used this shield because it was Robert Jeffress, one of her husband's supporters, who threw the dirtiest religious barb in the campaign. He accused Romney of being a member of a "cult," who should be shunned by Christians.
more:http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57383538-503544/santorums-martyr-complex/
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