ROMNEY: ATTACKS ON RELIGION GO TOO FAR
By Glen Johnson
Associated Press
December 12, 2007

Original Link

BOSTON - Republican Mitt Romney, amid questions about his faith raised by rival Mike Huckabee, said Wednesday that comparing political records on the stump and through the airwaves is legitimate for presidential contenders, but "attacking someone's religion is really going too far."

In an article to be published Sunday in the New York Times, the front-running Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist minister, asks, "Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?"

Romney, vying to become the first Mormon elected president, refused to answer that question during an interview Wednesday, saying church leaders in Salt Lake City had already addressed the topic.

"But I think attacking someone's religion is really going too far. It's just not the American way, and I think people will reject that," Romney told NBC's "Today" show.

Asked if he believed Huckabee was speaking in a coded language to evangelicals, Romney praised his rival as a "good man trying to do the best he can," but he added, "I don't believe that the people of this country are going to choose a person based on their faith and what church they go to."

The former Massachusetts governor also explained why he only used the term "Mormon" once last week in a highly publicized speech about religion in which he said he was proud of his faith.

"Actually, we prefer the name 'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,'" he said. "'Mormon' used to be a nickname and I don't use it a lot, but now and then I do because people know what faith I'm referring to, and I talked about 'my faith' a number of times, and I don 't imagine anybody is confused about what faith I have."

Romney also defended his launch of the first negative ad of the presidential campaign in Iowa, where Huckabee has erased Romney's long-standing lead in the polls. The spot, which began airing Tuesday, highlights Huckabee's support for in-state tuition for the children of illegal immigrants, as well as his support for scholarship for illegals.

"It's not negative; it's accurate," Romney said. "It's an ad that shows the differences on a very important topic, and actually, if you agree with Mike Huckabee's positions, it's a positive ad for him. If you agree with my position, it's a positive ad for me."

Romney dismissed Huckabee's rise in the polls - saying he's seen similar surges from GOP rivals John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson - but he said scrutiny will follow his rise to the top tier.

"I think Mike was desperately hoping that we would get through this without people taking a close look at his positions and his record, but his record on immigration, on pardons for criminals, on reducing the penalties for meth lab dealers, on taxing and spending - he increased spending from $6 billion to $16 billion. I think those features in his record will cause those numbers to turn around," Romney said.

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