Romney, in remarks to the Values Voters Summit, a gathering of cultural conservatives in Washington, did not directly confront the words of a prominent Perry supporter who called Romney's Mormon faith a "cult." Indeed, Romney was criticizing another speaker at the meeting who is known for anti-Mormon and anti-Muslim rhetoric, and who followed him on stage.
But his cautionary words served as notice that attacks on faiths should, in his view, be off the table. He appealed to the social conservatives to support a presidential candidate who has the best record on the economy.
Until now, Romney's Mormon faith and Perry's evangelical Christianity were secondary to a GOP primary focused on who can best fix the country's economy. Questions about his faith plagued Romney's 2008 presidential run, but he had been able to keep them at bay so far this time.
That changed when a pastor who introduced Perry to cultural conservatives called Mormonism a "cult" and said Romney is "not a Christian," forcing Perry to distance himself and Romney to respond. The back-and-forth suggests the primary race ? with a field finally settled and just three months before voting begins ? has moved into a more aggressive phase. And it illustrates that Perry's very public religiosity and long history with evangelical Christian leaders won't remain on the sidelines of the presidential race.
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I'll believe corporations are persons when Texas executes one.: LBJ's Ghost
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