"The best thing Romney could say is, 'My church will not direct me on political issues,"' said Oman, who is himself LDS. "If Romney is president and (LDS Church President) Gordon B. Hinckley calls him, Romney would answer the phone. But Gordon B. Hinckley is not going to be giving him marching orders." Following JFK's lead on calling for the separation of church and state would be a mistake for Romney, said Robert George, a Princeton law professor and director of that university's James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions.

"Romney can't say that. That's how you run as a Democrat," George said. "He's going to sound like a liberal. If he thinks he has a problem being a Mormon, that's even worse."

George questioned the choice of venue for the speech, which he and many others have deemed a risky move for Romney. The first votes in the 2008 presidential race will be cast on Jan. 3, in Republican and Democratic caucuses in Iowa, where Romney — who once had a strong lead there — is now statistically tied with former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister.

"Frankly, that worries me a little bit, the resonance it has with Kennedy," George said of Romney choosing to give his so-called "JFK speech" in the same state where Kennedy spoke decades ago. Notre Dame, the nation's best-known Catholic university, or an evangelical school, would have been a better choice, he said.

George also doubted Romney would see much of a boost in support by being associated with former President George H.W. Bush. Neither Bush nor his son, President George W. Bush, has endorsed a candidate in the wide-open GOP primary.

"While people respect George H.W. Bush, he's not beloved in the conservative movement. He's not Reagan," George said, noting GOP politicians proudly label themselves "Reagan Republicans" after the late president, but never "Bush Republicans."

College Station is Bush country. The biggest landmark in the small community, also known here as "Aggieland," is the sprawling campus' football stadium. The former president's library and museum, located just off George Bush Drive, are major tourist attractions, recently expanded to mark the facility's 10th anniversary.

Wednesday afternoon, there were few visitors there other than reporters arriving to cover today's speech and a few Romney staffers, who marveled at the re-creation of the Oval Office, right down to the president's chair. Apparently, though, none of them took the opportunity to have their picture taken behind the massive desk.

Romney's plans made the front page of the local newspaper, The Eagle, which quoted local religious leaders, including Mormons, as saying Romney should stay true to his faith when he speaks.

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