Mitt Romney's attention-getting speech regarding his religious beliefs was one of the most interesting and unusual events surrounding the upcoming election so far.

Of course, the obvious question is why is Romney giving a speech on this topic in the first place. And, of course, the obvious answer is that people care about a lot more than just policy in electing a President. Religion, and it's importance to the individual leading our nation over a four-year period of time, apparently still matters to this country and it certainly matters to me.

Strangely, the failures of the US in Iraq - under Republican watch - have caused a general paranoia to set in that our country is in decline and that "God has turned his back on us as a nation." So, in other words, Bush's actions in Iraq will actually strengthen the likelihood of a Republican (who plays his cards right with religious issues) to return to the Oval Office in 2008.

The not-so-fun part is that the US is actually truly in noticeable decline. We have a weakening economy operating under the shadow of future governmental obligations - Social Security, health care, etc. - that we have no hope of delivering unless we take radical action and soon. We have a ridiculous tax system which is too complex for anyone to understand and does things like taxes people's money a second time upon their death. And let's not forget that we've created somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy by allowing our negligent, arrogant foreign policy to drive friends away and compel enemies to action.

While I've mentioned before that I believe Romney's robotic, corporate stature and demeanor won't translate well for the role as Commander in Chief, I have to think twice about that assessment when seeing the level of thought put into this recent speech. Specifically, this caught my attention:

"We separate church and state affairs in this country, and for good reason. No religion should
dictate to the state nor should the state interfere with the free practice of religion. But in recent years, the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning. They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God," Romney said.

If Romney keeps saying things like this, he should be fine. He probably needs Huckabee out of the race as quickly as possible, though, because no one will overlook Mr. Smith's Book of Mormon if there's an actual Baptist minister in the race. Without Huckabee in, Romney can seize the moral high ground over somebody like Giuliani.

I'm still hoping for Fred Thompson to be the Republican nominee. But if Romney were the choice, I'd give him a hard look. So I suppose he might have accomplished his goal of settling the issue and preparing to move ahead. Romney's pro-active approach in confronting the issue early on simply confirms he has leadership skills that could be of use in repairing the damage that's been done to the Presidency over the past few years.

While I'm intrigued by the elevation of religion within the mainstream, it will take a lot to get me to actually vote in this election. I had two horrible choices in the last election from which to choose, and I continue to not appreciate the 'black and white' polarized type of discussions that pass as political discourse as we approach this next election.

The best thing of all in all of this is that regardless of whether a Democrat or Republican is elected, the President will be an upgrade. That's a good realization to have.

Oh, and in other news, Titans have a must-win this week against the Chargers. Unfortunately, I have them predicted to lose, but then go on and win the last 3 games before entering the playoffs. I hope I'm wrong!