Bill Sammon, The Examiner
2007-04-03 07:00:00.0
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WASHINGTON -

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has decided to deal with the politically sensitive topic of his Mormon faith through humor, not a Kennedyesque speech on religious tolerance.

Over the weekend, for example, Romney joked about rival Rudy Giuliani’s pledge that, if elected, he might allow his wife to attend Cabinet meetings.

“If I adopt the same policy, we’re going to need a heck of a lot more chairs in the Cabinet room,” Romney deadpanned at the annual Gridiron Club dinner in Washington.

It was not the first time Romney has trolled for laughs about polygamy, which the Mormon church repudiated in 1890.

“I have to admit that as a Mormon, I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman ... and a woman … and a woman,” the Republican has quipped on several occasions.

In a recent interview with The Examiner, Romney said he is taking a “wait-and-see” approach about the possible need to give a major speech on Mormonism that he would model on John F. Kennedy’s speech about Catholicism.

Mindful that the nation had never elected a Catholic president, Kennedy assured Americans in 1960 that he would not take political marching orders from the Vatican.

“I am not the Catholic candidate for president,” he said eight weeks before the election. “I am the Democratic Party’s candidate for president who also happens to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my church on public matters — and the church does not speak for me.”

Romney has flirted with the idea of giving such a speech about Mormonism, but is not yet convinced such a move is necessary.

“We’ll see how things develop and I’m sure I’ll get advice from a number of people and we’ll see down the road,” he said. “I just don’t have any final decision at this point.”

Meanwhile, by making light of his religion’s political ramifications, Romney hopes to defuse an issue that he says is important only to journalists, not ordinary voters.

“This is of great interest in the media, but very little interest on the stump,” he told The Examiner. “People want a person of faith who actually believes that there is a creator and believes that we’re the family of humankind. And they’re not terribly concerned about the brand of faith, as long as the values are shared.”