Robert Novak’s column this morning is a bit weird. Mitt Romney MUST watch and respond to the upcoming movie September Dawn about the awful events of September 11…1857.

Novak writes, in part:

Today’s Mormons, including Romney, cannot be blamed for these events. Nevertheless, the candidate has followed the church’s example in ignoring this movie. Romney will not comment on ‘’September Dawn’’ and indeed will not watch it. That follows his decision not to defend his Mormon faith or actively fight the religious bias that has impeded his candidacy. …
Romney surely is not responsible for what kind of man Brigham Young was, but that question hurts his candidacy. Romney has been described by many Republican insiders as the perfect candidate: magnetic, smart, with an excellent record as an executive. His greatest liability has been religious bias against him. He has never seized this issue, thinking it so wrong-headed that it will go away.
Similarly, he has rejected efforts by the producers of ‘’September Dawn’’ to reach out to him. I made three attempts without success to get his views of the movie. Neither watching it nor condemning it, he may just hope that Americans will not include this bloody tragedy in their spring and summer viewing.

Now I’m not going to accuse Novak or anyone else who watches this movie and thinks, “Mitt Romney MUST respond.” a bigot. Afterall, culture matters, movies have an impact. I think Novak’s column probably reflects a concern … that Americans aren’t more tolerant of religious minorities than I think we are. But there is something really disturbing about it his comments still. And I think Americans, rather than thinking Mitt Romney would have been in the cheering section of a 19th-century Utah massacre, will be a bit weirded out by people who insist Governor Romney is trying to hide from an issue he’s been relatively up front about. Everywhere he goes the question is: “Hey, but you’re Mormon.” And he says, Yes, yes, I am. I’m a normal American who loves God and his one wife of four decades and children and grandchildren and who works hard and wants to serve. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and I have a whole lot in common with a whole lot of my fellow Americans who aren’t.

Yes, I do think Romney has to do more than that at some point (sounds like he’s not going to do it at Regent’s commencement this weekend, which is a good decision if you ask me) – and I think he can do it by highlighting not only common values and how his faith calls him to service but by talking about the importance of and challenges to religious freedom, some of which he faced pretty dramatically while governor of Massachusetts.