February 8, 2008

MITT ROMNEY
Miscalculations Dogged Romney From the Start
Brendan Hoffman/New York Times (02/08/2008)
Suspicions about Mr. Romney’s Mormon faith consumed his campaign early on, only to seem to fade from view. But his advisers and outside experts agree that the unease ultimately helped pave the way for Mike Huckabee, a former Southern Baptist pastor, to emerge from the backbench of the Republican field to win the Iowa caucuses, a central, costly goal of Mr. Romney’s strategy.

Mitt's bid for White House took the pulse of nation on Mormonism
Peggy Fletcher Stack/Salt Lake Tribune (02/08/2008)
Mitt Romney dragged fellow Mormons into the presidential race, whether they liked it or not. Most thought publicity for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whether positive or negative, would be a good thing. With optimistic naiveté, many believed the more people knew of Mormonism, the more Latter-day Saints would be accepted into mainstream America, legitimate players on the national stage. That didn't happen. Instead, some said, Romney's failed campaign revealed what many Americans really think about Mormons.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Divided evangelicals key to election
Ed Stoddard/Reuters (02/08/2008)
DALLAS - Widening political divisions in the once-united U.S. evangelical community as Arizona Sen. John McCain closes in on the Republican presidential nomination could hurt the party in the November White House race.

Huckabee to Get Evangelical Leader's Nod
Eric Gorski/Associated Press (02/07/2008)
James Dobson, one of the nation's most prominent evangelical Christian leaders, is about to endorse former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, The Associated Press has learned. Dobson, founder of Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Focus on the Family, talked to the GOP presidential hopeful Thursday and later was to release a statement explaining his choice, said Gary Schneeberger, a spokesman for Dobson.

Romney Out, McCain Looks Ahead
Dan Balz/Washington Post (02/08/2008)
Sen. John McCain effectively sealed the Republican presidential nomination yesterday when former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney abruptly left the race. The senator from Arizona immediately turned his attention to repairing relations with disgruntled conservatives and to opening the general election campaign with a sharp critique of his Democratic rivals.

DEATH PENALTY
Court: Neb. Electric Chair Not Legal
Nate Jenkins/Associated Press (02/08/2008: ap.google.com)
LINCOLN, Neb. — The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled Friday that electrocution is cruel and unusual punishment, outlawing the electric chair in the only state that still used it as its sole means of execution. In the landmark ruling, the court said the state Legislature may vote to have a death penalty, just not one that offends rights under the state constitution.

High Court Likens Electrocution To Frankstein
ketv.com (02/08/2008)
LINCOLN, Neb. -- The Nebraska Supreme Court in a 6-1 ruling has struck down the state's sole means of execution, ruling that electrocution is cruel and unusual punishment.

DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE
Mormons Dismayed by Harsh Spotlight
Suzanne Sataline/Wall Street Journal (02/08/2008)
Mitt Romney's campaign for the presidency brought more attention to the Mormon Church than it has had in years. What the church discovered was not heartening. Critics of its doctrines and culture launched frequent public attacks. Polling data showed that far more Americans say they'd never vote for a Mormon than those who admitted they wouldn't choose a woman or an African-American.

Christians Wrong About Heaven, Says Bishop
time.com (02/08/2008)
N.T. "Tom" Wright is one of the most formidable figures in the world of Christian thought. As Bishop of Durham, he is the fourth most senior cleric in the Church of England and a major player in the strife-riven global Anglican Communion; as a much-read theologian and Biblical scholar he has taught at Cambridge and is a hero to conservative Christians worldwide for his 2003 book The Resurrection of the Son of God, which argued forcefully for a literal interpretation of that event. It therefore comes as a something of a shock that Wright doesn't believe in heaven — at least, not in the way that millions of Christians understand the term.