Ken Starr: 'Can I vote for a Mormon?'

Ken Starr, president of Baptist-affiliated Baylor University, wrote an op-ed piece in today's Washington Post with the Republican presidential race in mind but without mentioning any specific candidates.

His headline: "Can I vote for a Mormon?"

And, really, the title says it all in terms of why Starr's point of view is very timely and perhaps even prescient.

A Starr snip: "In my own life, I have drawn great strength from my religious practices and, according to the teachings of my faith tradition, I intend to continue to keep in prayer those who are chosen to lead our nation. That said, the litmus for our elected leaders must not be the church they attend but the Constitution they defend."

The Houston Chronicle's Rick Perry blog picked up on Starr's editorial. The Chronicle's take: "The piece was headlined 'Can I vote for a Mormon?,' and without addressing specific candidates, Starr basically said yes, he could vote for someone of a different faith. … Starr became Baylor University's first president without a connection to a Baptist church or the school itself when he took office in 2010. He grew up in the Church of Christ, but joined a Baptist congregation in Waco upon accepting the position."

Starr is the former federal judge and Solicitor General who investigated Pres. Bill Clinton's administration in the role of appointed Independent Counsel.

EMAIL: jaskar@desnews.com