Novak Contributes to Distasteful Sliming of Mormon Romney

I cannot believe my eyes as I am reading a recent column by Robert Novak. The main purpose of the column is to discuss a movie casting Mormon patriarch Brigham Young in a bad light AND tie it to Mitt Romney. He opens the column with this shot:

Opening Friday, a motion picture called "September Dawn" depicts a brutal American massacre that has been forgotten. On Sept. 11, 1857, in Utah Territory, Mormons slaughtered more than 120 California-bound settlers from Arkansas. Retelling at this time the Sept. 11 carnage of 150 years ago does not help Mormon Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.

What a poison pill in so few words. Mormon. September 11 allusion. Romney. The rest of the column describes the story, the movie and how Romney is refusing to see the movie or comment on it. So what? This happened 150 years ago. Why should Romney be embroiled in it now? As for religion sponsored violence from the past, Catholic Novak should know better. Should we hold the Spanish Inquisition over the head of every Catholic politician running for office?

The fact is that many who don't know what Mormonism is about , and those who do (including me) think it a strange little religion. Strange or not, it is now well established in the U.S and around the world. Several high ranking people including Orin Hatch and our old pal Harry Reid are Mormons. It is certainly much more mainstream than being a follower of the Rev. Moon or the Baswan Rashnish.

The Mormon angle on Mitt Romney is nothing short of disgraceful. Robert Novak should be ashamed. In fact, I can't recall anything recently by Novak that I found worthy of the reputation he has built. Maybe a good one here and there, but for the most part he seems to be spriraling downward at the twilight of his career. This most recent column is nothing short of a hit piece weakly trying to look otherwise.