Huntsman and Shurtleff Need to Step Up

Gov. Huntsman and Attorney General Shurtleff loaned their political cachet to John McCain. Since then, in an effort to derail Mitt Romney, McCain repeatedly has said that Mormons are freaks and terrorists.* The Gov and AG have many Mormon constituents who don’t appreciate being called freaks and terrorists. Gov. Huntsman and AG Shurtleff should demand that McCain move beyond hollow lip service and actually fire the latest religion-baiter. Should McCain refuse, they should drop their endorsements. That might let the Senator know that these highly-effective “slips” also have a downside.

* It does not matter that the actual words keep coming from staffers. If a staffer says it and is not fired, the boss likes that it is being said, no matter what kind of lip service he offers to the contrary. This is simple political stuff.

UPDATE: Colonel Takashi notes that "the criticisms are not about Mitt Romney, they are about 6 million Americans!" Exactly. I'd point out, though, that we're not talking about "criticisms." We're talking about bigotry.

Also, I don't intend the post to be about the job performance or character of the Gov. or AG. For what it's worth, I'm proud of both and believe they are serving us well. As I state, though, they have a unique opportunity to correct a major wrong. Political strength often is not about standing up to "others." It is about standing up to our own. I have no doubt that John McCain has tremendous virtues. But on this one, he keeps screwing up. If he lacks the discipline or decency to stop himself, I hope my two friends will do what they can to stop him.