海角大神

Ever since Sen. Rand Paul (R) of Kentucky began railing about Bill Clinton being a 鈥減redator鈥� for his affair 16 years ago with White House intern Monica Lewinsky 鈥� and, more to the point as the next presidential election approaches,聽trying to connect the former president鈥檚 past to 2016 Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton 鈥� other Republicans have been asked to comment.

On NBC鈥檚 鈥淢eet the Press鈥� Sunday it was Mitt Romney.

Now, Mr. Romney 鈥� the former Massachusetts governor and failed 2012 Republican presidential candidate 鈥� is under no obligation to comment, and he鈥檚 made very clear that he鈥檚 run his last political campaign.

(Although as Monitor White House correspondent Linda Feldmann wrote recently, 鈥淟iberal columnists had so much fun during the past two presidential cycles with Romney 鈥� the Mormon plutocrat with the big, attractive family 鈥� that they鈥檙e almost trying to will another campaign into existence.鈥� How else to explain the buzz over the recent sympathetic documentary 鈥淢itt鈥� and his frequent appearances on Sunday morning talk shows?)

But Romney is a polite and earnest man, and if asked, he will answer. Here鈥檚 some of what he said Sunday:

"I think her record is what will be judged upon, and not the record of her husband鈥�. Hillary Clinton, if she becomes the nominee, will have plenty to discuss about her own record, and I don't imagine that Bill Clinton is going to be a big part of it."

"That being said, the times when he was president were, by and large, positive economic times for the country. On the other hand, he embarrassed the nation, he breached his responsibility, I think, as an adult and as a leader in this relationship, and I think that's unfortunate. But I don't think that's Hillary Clinton's to explain. She has her own record and her own vision for where she would聽take the country."

In other words, as biblical scripture almost says, the sins of the husband should not be visited upon the wife.

Republican strategist Karl Rove essentially made the same point on 鈥淔ox News Sunday.鈥�

Asked if Bill Clinton鈥檚 past would help Republicans win the presidency, Mr. Rove said, 鈥淚t may.鈥�

鈥淏ut the trouble for Republicans is it鈥檚 easier to say what you鈥檙e against than what you are for,鈥� the Fox News contributor continued. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more important to say what you're for. Anyone taking on Hillary Clinton 鈥� Democrat or Republican 鈥� had better focus on what they're for to contrast implicitly against Hillary.鈥�

But back to Mitt Romney.

As long as he鈥檚 seen by TV schedulers and talk show hosts as interesting to the public, he鈥檒l be asked to comment on important issues 鈥� especially ones that may be generating controversy and political conflict. Like same-sex marriage.

It鈥檚 not surprising that he鈥檚 opposed to gay marriage 鈥� although, interestingly, a recent poll by the Salt Lake Tribune finds that Utahns in heavily-Mormon Utah are now evenly split on the issue. As governor, he opposed the legislation which made Massachusetts the first state to legalize such marriages.

But his comments today seem more nuanced, more accepting of what may be the inevitably of same-sex marriage as it becomes legal under state and federal law.

"I think marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman," he said Sunday on NBC. "And I think the ideal setting for raising a child is in a setting where there's a father and mother. Now there are many other different settings that children are raised in, and people have the right to live their life as they want to. But I think marriage should be defined in the way it's been defined for several thousand years. And if gay couples want to live together, that's fine as well, that's their right."

鈥淚 think you stand for various principles. You communicate those to the American people, and they either support those or not,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ometimes, if something is lost, well, you move on to the next issue. You wish you鈥檇 have won that one, but you move on.鈥�