Video (it Begins): Mitt Romney asked about Mormonism at Town Hall

While at a town hall meeting in Wisconsin, Mitt Romney took a question from a Ron Paul supporter about his Mormon religion. The question was race-based; Bret Hatch wanted to know if Romney thought it was a sin for a white man to "marry and procreate with a black." Romney answered with an emphatic "no" and moved on but what he said a short time after that provided a clear opening for the mainstream media in the coming weeks and months.

Note that while referring back to Hatch a little bit later, Romney said he would not talk about the "doctrines" of  his religion but only the "practices" of his "faith." Again, if Romney thinks that setting these kinds of ground rules for the mainstream media is going to prevent future questions about the "doctrines" of his religion, he's living in an alternate universe. There are some bizarre practices in the Mormon religion he is certain to have to deal with as well, as I wrote about here and here.

There is something else at work here. Over the last several months, we've seen Ron Paul take a hands-off approach to Mitt Romney while attacking both Santorum and Gingrich. Why? As I wrote here, it probably has to do with a belief in the Paul camp that Romney is the least likely candidate to defeat Barack Obama; this would allow Rand Paul to run for president in 2016 as opposed to 2020.

If Mitt Romney thinks this moment was awkward, just wait until the mainstream media begins dissecting the "doctrines" of Mormonism. Though he is doing extremely well among Mormon voters, both he and they may want to be careful what they wish for because they could each end up in a lose / lose situation. No presidency and the "doctrines" of Mormonism laid bare by the media.

I've been saying it for quite a while now; Romney is a terrible choice for the Republicans to put up against Barack Obama because the media will be looking for some Jeremiah Wright payback in the form of a Mormon religion anal exam. Unfortunately, money and groupthink among the Republican establishment appears to be winning the day.

Via ABC News: