It pains me to say this, but Mitt Romney can’t win the 2008 presidential election, especially if he goes up against Hillary Clinton. Too many people who would otherwise support the Republican nominee will not vote for Romney because of his Mormonism. Please don’t interpret this as Keith opposing Romney because of his Mormonism. If you’ve been reading this blog for the past few years, you know that Romney was my first choice for president in 2008. I was on his bandwagon before he had a bandwagon. But look: It’s going to be a close race. Can those of us who hope to avoid a Hillary presidency afford to take a chance? It would be different if 2008 were going to be a Republican year, but clearly it’s not. What do you think? By the way, if Ron Paul decides to run as an independent candidate, it’s all over for the Republicans. The Megans of the world will vote for him, just as many Democrats voted for Ralph Nader in 2000. You know what happened.

Addendum: Here, courtesy of one of my students, is the text of Romney‘s speech.

Addendum 2: Here is David Frum’s take.