January 27, 2007
Romney Reviews His Conversion Experience
EX-MA Gov. Mitt Romney delivered a wide-ranging speech to the National Review Summit Saturday evening in which he introduced himself to dining conservatives. He used the speech to explain changed some of his positions on social issues while in office.
“And I’ve changed my view on that, as some of you probably know,” Romney said to a hushed crowd. He went on to describe his now well-publicized conversion moment: when a Harvard professor visited his office to tell him and his chief of staff about the process of harvesting stem cells for research. [SHIRA TOPELITZ]
He also made sure the crowd knew of his opposition to gay marriage and civil unions, and called himself a Ronald Reagan conservative on abortion who, like the former President, he said “learned with experience.”
It was Romney’s night to press his pitch to conservatives, journalists, activists and National Review subscribers alike. From his business experience (yes, he told the Dominos pizza story – an ironic twist because he mentioned by name the company’s CEO Tom Monaghan, who is a vocal supporter of rival Sam Brownback) to a few Olympic anecdotes and all the way to his five point plan for a foreign policy with Iran.
By the way, AR Gov. Mike Huckabee was walking around the lobby nonchalantly on his cell phone about an hour before the dinner. It seemed Huckabee did not attend the speech – or at least Romney didn’t recognize him from the podium as he did former Senator Fred Thompson and Grover Norquist.
Posted at 10:56 PM
Comments
Most of this criticism of Romney is a thin disguise for anti-Mormon bigotry. Romney is a honorable man, and he's been a better friend to the Catholic church in MA than any other governor (most of whom have been Catholic). Words to remember: "Mormons have served quietly and honorably in the House, Senate, Armed Forces, Judiciary, every federal agency, and most Presidential Administrations for 100 years. Those who would try to impute any disloyalty, dishonor or ineptitude to them for their religious beliefs degrade us all." -- President Bush on criticism of Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt's appointment to the EPA. Anti-Mormons should keep this quote in mind when talking about whether Romney's religion should disqualify him for the Presidency.
Stephen Rinehart | 01.29.07 01:47 AM
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Mr. Rinehart,
It has nothing to do with his Mormon-ness. He'll be John Kerry-ed because of his stances on social issues.
Ghost of Tom Joad | 01.29.07 05:19 PM
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