Monday January 28, 2008

Romney on Mormon President's Passing

Mitt Romney issued this brief statement today on the passing of Mormon Church President Gordon B. Hinckley. Pretty milquetoast for a modern giant of the faith:

"I was saddened to learn of the death of Gordon B. Hinckley. Ann and I respect him as a man of great faith and character. Like all people who knew him, we were deeply touched by his humility, his sense of humor and by the way he inspired so many people around the world. We will miss his leadership."

Romney also commented on Hinckley's death at a West Palm Beach press conference this morning that was staged at a gas station and focused on Romney's economic message. But he apparently tried to play down their cordial relationship:

[T]he first three questions from reporters all had to do with Mr. Hinckley’s death and Mr. Romney’s relationship with him.

Mr. Romney, who said he hoped to be able to go to Mr. Hinckley’s funeral, said he did not know him personally until his stint running the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
He recalled meeting with him several times to ask for a contribution from the church for the Games and to discuss the need for access to some of the church’s property for the Olympics. Mr. Romney remembered being surprised by the level of detail Mr. Hinckley was familiar with the church’s property, even knowing that sewer pipes in a certain parking lot were too close to the surface to be leveled.

“Like millions of members of my faith, I didn’t get to know President Hinckley on a very, uh, personal one-to-one basis,” Mr. Romney said. ‘Instead I knew him as a member of my church and saw him as a leader of great capacity, of great ability to reach out and touch a large number of people with a very personal and human connection.”

Mr. Romney failed to mention that he also met with Mr. Hinckley in November 2005 to ask his advice about a possible run for president, a meeting reported in Sunstone, a Mormon magazine. When asked about that meeting, Mr. Romney played it down.

“I was in Salt Lake and had the chance to go by him and see him and told him that our family was going to be thinking about running for president,” said Mr. Romney. “He smiled and said it would be a great experience if you won and a great experience if you lost.”

Comments (0)

Filed Under: casting stones, Gordon B. Hinckley, Mitt Romney, Mormon

posted by Dan Gilgoff @ 9:42am Permalink Email This Add to: