The AP’s Glen Johnson reports on Mitt’s trip to Bettendorf, Iowa.  There an anti-war “activist” challenged Mitt on the fact that none of his five sons decided to serve in the military.  Why this question is even given voice by Johnson is beyond me.  It’s a cheap shot.  We live in a country where men and women are free to serve in the military – or not.  Instead of focusing on that freedom, some nitwits heckle a father for the decisions of his adult sons.  Go figure.
 
Mitt has launched a new ad in Iowa in the run up to the Ames Straw Poll.
 
The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder has some inside info on Mitt’s push to Ames.
 
CBS’s Pure Horserace thinks Mitt is hearing footsteps on the way to Ames.  He points to a “clearly frustrated Romney hastily leaving the studio after the [Mickelson] interview” as evidence there might be an upset coming from the second tier candidates like Cheap-Shot Sam.  Mitt will win the Ames poll, but you can guarantee that any showing of strength from Tiers 2 or 3 will be overblown by the MSM.
 
The Philly Inquirer’s Dick Polman declares that since Republicans tend to be more religious than Democrats now Mitt should be required to answer questions about his faith.  Polman cloaks his bigotry with the “weird” veil and proceeds to cherry pick pieces of Mormon doctrine, folklore, and myth in order to paint Mitt (and all Mormons) as self-righteous crusaders bent on imposing their faith on the heathen hoards.
 
Ok.  Maybe I embellish Polman’s column just a tad. Memo to Dick Polman:  Replace every single mention of “Mormon” in your column with Jew, Catholic, or Muslim and I guarantee your inbox will be inundated with messages like the one I’m about to send you.  Congratulations.  You’re a bigot.  Here’s your sign.  And, for the record, I want a President who believes in American Exceptionalism.  This is a special country – that’s why everybody wants to come here.  I’m not interested in any “leader” who sees Islamofascism as having anything to add to America.  American Exceptionalists believe the War on Terror must be won rather than appeasing the thugs on the other side.  End Memo.
 
The Christian Science Monitor’s Linda Feldmann has an extensive piece on Mitt, his family, and (of course) his religion.  Having read the whole thing, I find her work well thought out and well written.  That said, I have to take issue with her quotation of Alan Wolfe, director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at Boston College:

It doesn’t matter that Mormonism is by now a very fast-growing and successful religion.  It doesn’t matter that Romney’s Mormon faith has in no way impeded his political career thus far. Same with Harry Reid [the Senate Democratic leader, also a Mormon]…. When ordinary people start to think about Mormonism, the word that flits across their brain is ‘cult.’

Memo to Alan Wolfe:  Evidently, sir, you do not know or associate with many “ordinary” people.  End memo.
 
Normally I’m of the opinion that you takes the compliments you gets.  Michael Graham’s Boston Herald op-ed makes me want to reconsider that view.  Thanks, Mike.  I think.
 
Via Article VI I came across Justin Taylor’s take on Michael Gerson’s Washington Post op-ed.  The news on Taylor’s blog is an upcoming Collin Hansen piece on Mitt in the September edition of Christianity Today.  My praise for Taylor ends where the comments begin. 
 
I was unaware Mitt had triplets.