Deseret News | Romney in damage control mode for Muslims in Cabinet comments

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Romney in damage control mode for Muslims in Cabinet comments

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Careful | 10:41 p.m. Nov. 28, 2007

If Mitt does indeed become president, will he be shot like Kennedy was?

Whats the difference? | 11:24 p.m. Nov. 28, 2007

Some are worried that Muslims are trying to convert the world. Arnt the Mormons trying to do the same thing??? Isnt it peoples right to teach, preach and believe anything that they want? With regards to Mitts statement that a Muslim could have a 'lower' position I find it interesting that the issue of ones religion is an issue to him.

politicians | 2:29 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

Mitt should know by now that anything he says 'off the record, 'or in private'
will be front page news next week.

Comments continue below

Face Value | 2:46 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

I take Mitt Romney at face value. After all he is the one that knows what he was thinking. That it wasn't that he wouldn't put in a Muslim if a person happens to be of that faith and is the best appointee for the office, but that he didn't need to put anyone in just becuase he is of a particular group. In this case Muslim. The low number thing would refer to a quota it seems, that they don't have a sufficient number to have to be at a certain quota.

Hypo | 3:50 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

Ijaz is exactly correct in identifying Mitt Romney's hypocrisy. In fact, it is a hypocrisy that runs deep through the LDS population in general, revealing a double standard among the LDS people.

USC | 5:25 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

Given the lack of outrage shown by the American Muslim community over the 9/11 attacks on Americans AND their overwhelming support for jihad against fellow Americans (especially Jews) I don't think it's unreasonable to scrutinize the appointment of Muslims for government positions, especially a cabinet position.

Deflection! | 7:09 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

Mitt you had my interest there for a moment , not anymore!

Observant | 7:39 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

I can think of no one in my circle of friends that would object to not having a Muslim in the Cabinet. The comparison of Mormons to Muslims is ridiculous. If there were terrorist Mormons blowing up the world and willing to kill everyone who was not one of them it may be a valid comparison but it isn't. Mitt made it clear he would be willing to appoint the most qualified person regardless of faith or ethnicity but obviously that part was omitted from the report. How convenient!

he said, he said. | 7:42 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

Mr. Romney addressed the comment, and made it clear. What was said, what was heard? Only two men know the real truth. I'm hedging on Mr. Romney on this one.

Keep Buying /seeling it! | 8:07 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

I find it interesting that so many are giving credence to an excerpt of a dialogue that few can verify. We have no context and it does not fit the standardized question that Romney would give, especially to someone who is muslim. Smells like political skulldaggery and it gets way to much press.

Bigotry | 9:27 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

Ijaz correctly points out Mitt's hypocrisy - claiming to be persecuted for his faith in Mormonism, on the one hand, but then revealing his own discrimination against others because of their faith, on the other hand.

In this regard, Romney is exemplary of almost every Mormon I have ever known, and that is not a few!

Can't Wait | 11:12 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

Can't wait for Wednesday, Nov 5, 2008 to come. Maybe then all of this can die down. At least I hope so.

Anonymous | 1:31 p.m. Nov. 29, 2007

False statements in order to attack a republican candidate? It's not the first time we have seen that happen. I's called the scarecrow tactic, you set up the scarecrow, or, declare what someone meant or said, then attack it. The article was poorly researched in order to created a controversy and make Mr. Romney look bad.

Re: Wow | 3:42 p.m. Nov. 29, 2007

"I am an indepent voter who won't vote for any candidate in the Republican party because of the Bush's administration policies the last two terms." What a stupid way to vote. How about you vote for whoever is the best candadite not just against the Replublicans? The whole idea that instead of voting for the best candadite we vote for/against a certain party is everything that is wrong with politics in this country. We should vote on things that are relevant to the voting. Not things like (exageration) when we were little kids Mitt told me his favorite color is blue but now it's green so he is a flip-flopper and I won't vote for him. How about we focus on what is relevant. We're not talking about voting for class president we're talking about President of the USA!!!

Why would we? | 4:13 p.m. Nov. 29, 2007

Why would romney appoint any muslim to the cabinet? Let's try on this example, imagine that there was a radical group of Mormons in Southern Utah who launched the largest attack ever on American soil. In this attack they kill thousands of innocent Americans. Do you think people would absolutely tear Romney apart in his run at the presidency? I guarantee they would. For this reason Mr Ljaz we will never have a muslim in the cabinet of the United States and it will continue to be that way as long as there are radical muslim terrorist threatening American lifes.

james stowe | 4:56 p.m. Nov. 29, 2007

Everybody who is or was lds hopefully the latter, knows the church wants to make this a perfect world
I was always taught in bad times there would be a mormon president to bring everyone to perfection.

I understand this is still the practice today.

The church is big business anyway, please don't let it rule the country or the world by electing Mitt.

They can say the opposite but I was LDS and know
there ways.

I am a Mormon | 7:36 p.m. Nov. 29, 2007

The comparison between Muslims and Mormons is not ridiculous. Islamic Extremists make up a VERY small minority of islamic people just like FLDS make up a VERY small minority of Mormons. In both cases they are not affiliated and although they may resemble the extreme group in appearance, language, some worship practices and beliefs they do not accept or acknowledge them.

I live in the Deep south and have friends always asking me about polygamy. They see something about Warren Jeffs on the news and they think it automatically is associated with the Church.

We do the same thing when we watch reports of suicide bombers or footage of Osama Bin Laden. We tend to think to ourselves that the behavior of a few represents the character of many.

This is wrong.

Can't we all just get along? | 8:01 p.m. Nov. 29, 2007

Muslims and Mormons and any American citizen should be given an opportunity for any political position in this country if they are the best candidate.

Muslims are not Jihadists any more than myself or any other active LDS person is a polygamist.
Please fellow Mormons let's be smarter than this.

So much of our country's and world's problems could be solved with communication, dialogue, and.... PEACE!!!

Dare I say it? What a concept. It just happens to be one of the many principles that Muslims, Christian, Jews, Bhudists, and Hindi people believe in.

We've all read Orwell's, 1984. Those in power want to stay in power. They create Cold Wars and Wars on Terror and Jihads and they terrorize their own people to stay in power. They might not even no they're doing it. Remember that the adversary has a say in all this to (yes in our govt. as well). I'm not talking about republican vs. democrats. I'm talking about monied interests vs. working and struggling people.

Let's remember who we are and stop all this hate towards Muslims, immigrants, and people who believe different from us. Maybe then we could approach Zion.

Conejo | 11:43 p.m. Nov. 29, 2007

Please ask the President of Iraq if he would consider placing a Mormon on his cabinet in order to keep the Mormons there from revolting. I hear they can get pretty uppity when their jello doesn't set right.

Re James Stowe | 1:31 a.m. Nov. 30, 2007

I hope you got your burial plot picked out and funeral arrangements made. Mitt just might be our next President. Maybe you will be sent to education heaven your comments are so shallow and dense, or maybe you will obtain 72 virgins like all the "make sense logical muslims" believe when they murder Jews and Americans.

Islam and Mormonism | 6:34 a.m. Nov. 30, 2007

Sorry "I am a Mormon," but the comparison between Muslims and Mormons is indeed correct:
Both emphasize male-dominance
Both worship patriarchy
Both were to restore the long lost faith as the one true religion.
Both believe in proselytism
Both have odd religious rituals
Both were given visions
Both were visited by an angel
Both claimed the Bible was lost, altered, corrupted and unreliable
Both claimed their holy book was the most correct and perfect book on earth.
Both were polygamists who had many wives.
Both claimed they were persecuted because of their pure faith
Both received "after the fact corrective revelations" from God

Anonymous | 8:06 a.m. Nov. 30, 2007

Does anyone really believe that during WWII, PResident Roosevelt would have committed to having a Japanese in his cabinet? We are at war, essentially, with the Muslim world. It's complete nonsense that a Muslim in the cabinet (of whoever is president) would suddenly cause the Muslim world to love us. This is one of those classic trap questions that no matter which way the candidate answers, it's the wrong answer. Had Romney said he wants a Muslim in his cabinet, all the other religions would howl about why they aren't given that honor.

I am a Mormon | 8:48 a.m. Nov. 30, 2007

Dear "Islam and Mormonism" I appreciate your counter argument. If you would reread my previous statement you would see that I agreed that the comparison is indeed correct. (although I disagree with some of the comparisons that you inferred). I was actually commenting on the bigotry of those that were defending Romney's comments on this page.

In my original comment I wrote, "the comparison is not ridiculous." I was responding to someone earlier who said that it was.

In fact, this just further proves the way we tend to blindly attribute preconceived notions to a persons beliefs and ideals because of that persons race, culture, or faith. We become blind with bias and do not see that person or that person's position for what it is. You saw that my name was "I am a Mormon" and you figured in your head that I was a closed-minded bigot.

That may be the case for a vocal minority of Mormons but for the most part it's not. Just like most muslims are not jihadists and most Mormons are not polygamists.

The problem is that the extreme behavior by anyone group is usually reported, noticed, and remembered.

John Lambert | 9:30 a.m. Nov. 30, 2007

My take is that in hundreds of campaign comments there are all sorts of things people take. I think what we have to remember is that it has barely been a year since a Muslim was elected to congress.
In light of what it seems the question was, there are only four cabinet positions indicated, so to say that there is no reason to place a Muslim in one of them but it would be perfectly acceptable to put a Muslim in a position below that level is not outrageous.
If people can name one Muslim who has the credentials to be Secratary of Homeland Security, Attorney General, Secretary of Defense or Secretary of State than the question has some merit. Until then it is a hypothetical question.
I also dislike the publicizing in this way of what Romney had every reason to believe was a thought out question. In the nature of the question, it is not clear that if Romney had a Secretary of the Tresury lined up who was Muslim that such a thing would fit the bill.
I personally think such talk is way to early.

two types of Mormons | 10:06 a.m. Nov. 30, 2007

In my 25-year non-empirical study of the dominant culture, I have found that there are two types of Mormons:

Those who genuinely have a good time, have an occasional drink, (yes, I've seen them do this)are decent and hard-working, and could honestly be called salt-of-the-earth types.

Then there are the "temple-worthy" mormons who (and please forgive me) resemble those from The Aryan nations with their holier-than-thou sanctimonious caste system nonsense.

Curtis Blanco | 10:34 a.m. Nov. 30, 2007

Romney is quite likely to say what he feels people want to hear, rather than speak from any core beliefs. He feels it is safer to say, I would exclude Moslems, than to say, it is possible one might be in my cabinet.

Neither is he a deep person. He obviously hadn't thought out the abortion issue early in life to any great degree, or how could he change so easily shortly before he runs for president as a Republican? Either that or he had the views he claims now all along, and wasn't honest about them.

One would expect more from a person who has been raised in the one and only true church, which "goes forth nobly and independently". Shallow isn't noble, and saying things you don't mean to get along isn't independent.

Anonymous | 1:56 p.m. Nov. 30, 2007

Wait, Mitt Romney? The flip-flopping Mormon whose favorite novel is Battlefield Earth? I thought he was a fictional character.

Can't watch torture | 1:57 p.m. Nov. 30, 2007

Mitt Romney said he would support doubling the detention facilities in Guantï¿½namo.

This one-upmanship has got to stop. I don't think I can watch Rudy Giuliani waterboard a detainee during a debate.

Romney and waterboarding | 6:14 p.m. Nov. 30, 2007

In the first presidential race in history in which waterboarding is (sadly) a debatable issue, there was a telling moment for Mitt Romney during the GOP fracas Wednesday night. Romney refused to say that waterboarding was torture and seemed to suggest that he would allow the CIA to continue to use it as an interrogation technique.
And this is where the country is heading?
I don't think so.

Vegas Ed | 11:44 p.m. Dec. 2, 2007

Anytime religion is even slightly a topic in the story, the anti's have to write in. Ridiculous statements.

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