An abridged version of the following post originally appeared as comment #998.3 in the forum attached to the article titled "Romney Keeps Wrestling with Tax Returns Claim," published on 8/6/2012. It has since appeared in additional forums, in one variation or another, also here on MSNBC.com. It is now included below, in this particular forum, in furtherance of an ongoing, reasoned, and principled discussion regarding the independence of the Office of the President of the United States.  Reviewing the comments posted across multiple forums over recent months here on MSNBC.com, it's good to see other posts emerging with regard to the Mormon faith of Mitt Romney. I, myself, have a number of questions about Mormon doctrine, with specific regard to how LDS precepts might influence public policy should Mr. Romney or any other devoted Mormon ascend to the office of the presidency.  In particular, I join with other concerned citizens from across this land in calling to task the aggressive nature of the Mormon Church, emanating out of Utah, in bankrolling across state lines expressly political initiatives which seek to deny fellow citizens equal protection under the law and full access to the broadest possible range of civil liberties guaranteed to them under multiple amendments to the Constitution of the United States.  Further, as the Office of the President wields incredible political powers, both expressed and implied, I believe that it is incumbent upon us to understand, as best we might, what the Mormon church hierarchy would likely expect and/or require of a practicing LDS chief executive, including the degree to which Mormon religious precepts might influence the following:  Nominations to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court and in Federal District Courts, including Courts of Appeal.  Staffing considerations at the Department of Justice, EEOC, and other entities established to preserve and protect individual liberties.  Appointments to Cabinet-level positions and any number of ambassadorships and consular generalships worldwide, including the United Nations.  Appointments to head each of the various administrative agencies throughout the federal government.  Issuance of Executive Orders which either directly or indirectly restrict or inhibit the exercise of personal freedoms on the part of specific and essentially targeted populations.  Formulation of budget and/or program priorities which fund or facilitate those same freedoms.  As there is so much which an incoming President can do to transform the breadth and scope of executive power, my concern is insuring that my President remains faithful to his or her obligation to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States without regard to the preferential treatment of any faith, and in particular, without regard to a specific set of religious precepts long-associated with exclusionary social practices while simultaneously cloaking itself in an unnecessary and uncompromising secrecy.  If you believe that the Mormon church hierarchy would never seek to influence the actions, choices, and decisions of a duly-elected supplicant, or to refrain from establishing an unspoken though clearly understood LDS litmus test for nominations and appointments to critically important federal positions, if not the single-most important policy positions within the administration itself or of what has always been intended to remain a fully independent judiciary, or to demand, expect, or otherwise require abeyance to a faith-based series of exclusionary policy imperatives, then scroll on and find your own issue to espouse or debate.  As for me, and as I would hope for a growing number of other contributors to this forum as well as for citizens of an informed electorate across this nation, no other issue is paramount.  I have no illusions as to the righteousness of my argument, nor do I seek or wish to engage in mindless tit-for-tat over whether Mr. Romney's opponent, President Obama, has himself at one time been unwittingly co-opted by prior long-term membership in the independent ministry of an angry, bitter, and largely marginalized former pastor from Chicago, a one-time mentor of Mr. Obama who has long since been publicly and irrefutably disavowed. To me, there simply is no comparison.  The Mormon Church has an effective reach of global proportion, an unlimited and essentially self-perpetuating source of funding, and a far more comprehensive social, political, and theological agenda than anything Jeremiah Wright could have or would have ever dreamed.  It is precisely the nature and extent of that agenda, and its impact on the independence of the Office of the President of the United States should Mr. Romney emerge victorious in November, which should warrant the attention of us all.
OAK CREEK, WI — As speculation over whom Mitt Romney might choose as a running mate reaches a fever pitch, one of the Republicans rumored to be on the short list — Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan — is going on vacation. Ryan told reporters here that he is  …