Romney on Fundies

Yes, Mitt Romney warned against fundamentalists. No, he did not mention George Bush the Lesser.

The North Carolina press pretty much ignored his visit. That's a warning sign, Captain Brylcreem, when the news- hungry local rags in early primary areas tire of you before the race really starts. You had better eat some grits and shoot a small animal or two on the next visit.

However, one of our own news-hungry local rags, the Globe, found a snippet to hang his Raleigh speech on — warnings of theocracy. Granted, it was a throwaway line, but it makes good copy out of the same tedious campaign bragging.

There was the Cap'n, claiming that he did such a good job with the Massachusetts economy (not to mention cleaning up the Olympics) that he was the only sensible candidate for POTUS. The money card played well to his audience at the Foundation for NC Future, basically rich, white Republicans. As unbelievable and callous as it might seem, the old boys billed the Romney speech as a call. As they put it, "We must reduce our burdensome corporate and individual tax rates to stimulate our economy." In other words, give them even more money that they will keep, because, well, just because.

Our brave Cap'n told this noble group that Islamic terrorists want to "bring down our government" and "put in place a huge theocracy." The Globe reporters wrote:

"We're under attack, as you know, militarily," Romney told about 150 people gathered at an exclusive Raleigh country club. "They're not just intent on blowing up a little bomb here and there at a shopping mall, awful as that would be. They want to bring down our government, bring down our entire economy. They want to put in place a huge theocracy."

"Thank heavens we have a president of the United States who recognizes this for what it is and has declared war on it, and thank heavens we have a military that consists of the strongest and bravest and most able men and women in the world," Romney said.

So, what the Cap'n did not add was that our POTUS wants to legislate narrow religious tenets into our constitution and laws. At first glance, that would seem to steam toward theocracy of a kind this liberty-loving nation has never seen nor wanted. Surely, he can explain this mess to me.