Welcome to the Plastic Party.

Mitt Romney is one of my least favorite candidates in either party and his speech on religion yesterday underscored that.

Listening to it, I felt left out as a secular person but one who has no interest in a “secular religion.” There are obviously many like me. The Anchoress saw the danger in that omission: However the speech was not wholly innocuous. If Romney does manage to become the GOP nominee for president, this will follow him around like a Kindergarten report card:

You can be certain of this: any believer in religious freedom, any person who has knelt in prayer to the Almighty, has a friend and ally in me. And so it is for hundreds of millions of our countrymen: we do not insist on a single strain of religion – rather, we welcome our nation’s symphony of faith.

I believe what he meant to say there, was, “we do not insist on a single strain of religion – or indeed the embrasure of any religion at all – we welcome the dance of faith and reason.” Not saying it was a big mistake.

Indeed it was, but it doesn’t surprise me. Because more than most politicians, I have the feeling Romney will say anything. That is not just because he changes his opinions with the electoral winds. They all do. It is because I get the sensation there is no there there. There are no core beliefs beneath the necessary prevarications. I sense a void. The only other candidate who gives me that creepy feeling is John Edwards. Edwards-Romney or Romney-Edwards… now there’s a thought – the Plastic Party. Their motto (you guessed it): Have a good hair day!