Romney Caught Flagrantly Misrepresenting on ABC

Mitt Romney’s dots don’t connect. That was painfully clear in his recent interview with George Stephanopoulos on This Week.

Every straight question George asked was answered sideways by Romney. He had a “yes, but,” a “not exactly,” and a “O.K., but let’s talk about now” for every query. The most interesting oratory gymnastics by the Republican presidential candidate concerned his membership — including being a bishop, the president of Boston Area Parishes, and a two-year missionary in France — in the cult of Mormonism.

Stephanopoulos: I just have one more question about this and it has to do with the Muslim world.

In your faith, if I understand it correctly, it teaches that Jesus will return probably to the United States and reign on earth for 1,000 years. And I wonder how that would be viewed in the Muslim world. Have you thought about how the Muslim world will react to that and whether it would make it more difficult, if you were president, to build alliances with the Muslim world?

Mitt Romney: Well, I’m not a spokesman for my church. I’m not running for pastor in chief. I’m running for commander in chief.*

So the best place to go for my church’s doctrines would be my church.

Stephanopoulos: But I’m talking about how they will take it, how they will perceive it.

Mitt Romney: I understand, but that doesn’t happen to be a doctrine of my church.

Hold on there, pard. Even though you went on to claim that you only voted for Democrat Paul Tsongas because you were a registered Independent; and that you were pro-choice but now you’re pro-life except not that much because it should be up to each state to decide; and that you used to favor allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military but since Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is working so well, now you want them to hide their sexual orientation; and that you supported the Brady Bill’s three-day waiting period but now we don’t need it since we have faster computer systems so you joined the NRA a few months ago…even though you wormed you way through all that and more, you were just flat wrong or lying about the Jesus coming to America bit.

After all, it’s No. 10 in Mormonism’s Thirteen Articles of Faith.

10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

Why would Romney even think he’d get away with denying this?

…when contacted by ABC News for a clarification of Mormon theology, a church spokesperson said the Mormon Church does teach, in part, that Jesus will someday return [Editor’s Note: Was He here before?] to North America.

“We believe that Christ will return again to the Earth, and while that day is not imminent, it is our responsibility to prepare for that eventuality. One appearance will be to the new Jerusalem and another will be to the Jerusalem of the old world,” said spokesperson Michael Purdy. “It is our belief that the new Jerusalem will be established within the state of Missouri.”

I’d like to nominate Branson for the new Jerusalem. They already have those well-lit performance halls for Jim Stafford, Mickey Gilley, and Yakov Smirnoff. It’d be easy to set up the Joseph Smith All-Star Reunion with the Twelve Irish Tenors right there.

Romney will plainly say or do anything to serve his ambition. He and John McCain will have a hard time out-whoring each other on the campaign trail but I could easily see a McCain/Romney ticket after the primaries.

*Note: You can’t run for Commander in Chief.

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