Christ almighty! Elements of the right really are frighteningly unappealing sometimes. Mark Levin:

Now that Mitt Romney is giving a speech about faith, I’d like to hear speeches from all the candidates on faith. There seems to be general agreement here that a candidate’s faith is relevant to how they may govern, so we should encourage the other candidates to do the same.

There is no such general agreement. This Romney speech is an embarrassment for this country and an awful precedent.

I try not to simply link approvingly to things without comment because it’s too easy and I’m lazy by nature. Nevertheless, I’m going to do it now: Matt Yglesias on the pitfalls of European secularism. Read it. It’s succinct and very well put.

Ever hear of Ling Chi? I came across some photos (caution: very disturbing and probably not work safe) of the gruesome practice in some Georges Bataille book a few years back.

WaPo this morning:

Obama aides sharply disputed the initial stories suggesting that he was a Muslim, and in Iowa, the campaign keeps a letter at its offices, signed by five members of the local clergy, vouching for the candidate’s Christian faith. Aware that his religious belief remains an issue, Obama has denied a separate charge: that he does not hold his hand to his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance. This rumor stemmed from a photo that was taken while the national anthem was being played.

Also this:

Another e-mail, on a site called Snopes.com that tracks Internet rumors, starts, “Be careful, be very careful.” It notes that “Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim,” and that “since it is politically expedient to be a Christian when you are seeking political office in the United States, Obama joined the United Church of Christ to help purge any notion that he is still a Muslim.”

Obama seems to be taking it in stride and tries to convert the attacks to his advantage. Can he survive this crap, though? Comparatively lesser stuff did John Kerry in.