At the very least, the situation puts Cannon in a difficult position.

He's asking delegates to vote him into office that Saturday. But he's also backing an interpretation of C&B committee's authorizing language which, in the end, tells delegates they can't vote on proposals (if the C&B committees refused to recommend them) that the delegates have always voted on before.

To add insult to injury — George Orwell might like this twist — it was the C&B committee, at the request of the party's large Central Committee, that reviewed the C&B committee's organizing language, and, in turn, the C&B committee ruled only the C&B committee can "propose" such amendments and changes.

When you consider that historically — no matter what the C&B committee language said — constitutional and bylaw changes have always gone unfettered to convention delegates for ratification or refusal, taking away that right/responsibility could ruffle some delegate feathers.

Cannon rightly points out that no large organization lets similar items appear before a whole convention without some kind of vetting. For example, he says, the national Republican convention hears only resolutions and changes to its basic rules that have been recommended by some kind of committee.

An easy way out of this Utah predicament would have been to have the C&B committee pass along the six proposed changes to the Aug. 27 convention, and at the convention explain to delegates that in the future the C&B committee — under powers it already has — will screen all constitution and bylaw changes.

But I'm told the C&B committee, in 6-0 votes, killed all six proposals last week.

Ironically, state party rules don't allow the C&B committee to kill proposed resolutions.

So Lord's resolution will be heard (assuming it comes up before delegates dwindle away as the afternoon wears on and a quorum is lost — which has happened at a number of recent state GOP conventions.)

The process of democracy is rarely easy.

Dictatorships are much more efficient.

In several weeks a couple of thousand state GOP delegates will meet at SLCC to pick party leaders for the next two years.

And, like they have before, delegates may fight over internal party rules, as well.

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Deseret Morning News political editor Bob Bernick Jr. may be reached by e-mail at bbjr@desnews.com