The all too true joke about how Democrats like to indulge in circular firing squads is getting a fresh spin from the GOP in the current presidential campaign. Not surprisingly, it stems from one of those subjects that we're advised to avoid in polite conversation - religion.
Watching the ongoing discussion about (or, more tellingly in some cases, refusal to discuss) Mitt Romney's faith in and around the Republican Presidential candidates inspires mixed feelings for me. The debate over whether someone who's a Mormon is truly a "Christian" as opposed to a member of some kind of "cult" is troubling in the same way that the late-2006 uproar over Congressman Keith Ellison's decision to swear his oath of office on the Koran was troubling (i.e. something that shouldn't happen in 21st century America). At the same time, there's a certain pleasure in watching a political party that supposedly wants to be more inclusive shooting itself in the foot over something that should be an entirely personal matter while they seem unable to articulate a coherent policy on the things that most Americans care about such (e.g. the economy, the long-term future of social security, etc.).
In any case, assuming that either Mitt Romney or Rick Perry gets the Republican nomination, we're looking at two fun scenarios for the general election. Obama vs. Perry gives us the guy struggling to find a way out of the mess he inherited against the hypocrite who criticizes the first guy's approaches while reaping the benefits when it suits his political needs. Obama vs. Romney, on the other hand, would be a contest between people who share a similar vision on how to approach at least one key issue (i.e. health care) and that some portion of the Republican Party doesn't believe are Christians. I'm not sure which of those is better for President Obama and by extension America, but it does make me wonder if I have the intestinal fortitude to deal with another year of this.
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