Most of you are aware that Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney, has filed paperwork to explore a possible run at the White House in 2008. From my standpoint, as a Mormon, I hope he is given a fair shot and is judged on his politics because I don’t really care about his religion and won’t blindly vote for him just because he prescribes to the same religion that I embrace. We’re hoping others not of the Mormon faith feel that way, so hopefully we won’t take the polar opposite and blindly vote for him because he is Mormon. Of course, this assumes he gets the RNC nomination. The road is long until Election Day to be sure.

Still, the microscope will be focused on his religion - our religion - and the amount of news about Mormonism is going to rise as Romney gets more and more exposure. In fact, his filing prompted the New Republic magazine to post a cover story entitled, “A Mormon in the White House.” I haven’t read the piece yet, but on Hardball with Chris Matthews, the pundits discussing Romney’s filing essentially said it was below-the-belt.

Here’s the transcript, which I think is spot-on:

MATTHEWS: On another front in the Republican Party, Mitt Romney is about to announce an exploratory committee tomorrow. And what happens, the “New Republic” runs a front page story on the cover of their magazine about the dangers of a Mormon president. That is pretty rough stuff. And I read the long piece. I don‘t think it does the damage they thought it would, but boy, what a long, exhaustive attack on someone‘s religion.

GERGEN: Can you imagine if someone who had been—when John Kennedy was running, if the “National Review” opened up the great big package on the cover the dangers of having a Catholic in the White House? Bill Buckley would never have done that. Of course, he is Catholic, but nonetheless, that is just so below the belt and so inappropriate.

MATTHEWS: Is this the season we‘re entering?

GERGEN: Well, I hope not because the mormonism issue is there. It‘s lurking there, but it seems to me it‘s been entirely unfair to have this kind of whisper campaign that says a Mormon can‘t win. You know, the conservatives believe that Mormons are engaged in witchcraft.

You know, you hear that buzz out there, and, you know, Mitt Romney may or may not be your choice for candidate. But he‘s got one heck of a record of accomplishment over a lot of things over time, that deserve to get a lot more attention before we ever turn to the question of whether the Mormonism is right or not. In a day when we‘re burying Gerry Ford, I mean, I just find this stuff so…

MATTHEWS: … Andrea, I worked for a man who was LDS, Church of Latter Day Saints, a Mormon, Frank Moss in Utah, and I must say, the whole two years for this wonderful senator from Utah back in the ‘70s, his religion, I hate to say it, was irrelevant to his public life.

It just didn‘t come up in the office. It didn‘t come up in his legislation. I never heard any discussion ever affecting the way he voted on issues, economic issues, political issues, whatever. I wonder whether this is a bum rap.

MITCHELL: Well, I think it might be. You know, we‘ve heard much from people analyzing the south, for instance, who say that Mitt Romney‘s religion will be a problem with southern evangelicals. Yet he did very, very well—I think he came out on top in that initial straw poll in Tennessee.

MATTHEWS: Actually Frist came out on top, but he gave the best speech. That was a home court advantage for Bill Frist, I think. But he gave a great—you‘re right though in your overall point. He was very well-received down there. He gave a heck of a good speech. He‘s prepared. He‘s not exactly lovable, but he‘s damn confident, I think.

GERGEN: Well, he‘s run a—you have to give him a lot of credit. You know, if you look at about two years ago, he and Mark Warner are about the same place in their parties way back in the pack. Mark Warner then dropped out.

MATTHEWS: He‘s fighting it out, he‘s butting heads with McCain right now for running the show, pretty much.

GERGEN: That‘s exactly right. So you‘ve got to give him a lot of credit.

MATTHEWS: That‘s why he‘s getting—that‘s why he‘s hanging fire.

That‘s why people are writing about him.

GERGEN: But you know, I hope we have bigger things to talk about than whether a Mormon is a good idea in the White House.

Here are some other related stories to check out. All in all, good stuff.

Is the Mormon Faith a World Religion?

Judge Romney on His Consistency, Not Religion

Can We Elect a President without Prejudice?