Romney, Self-Hating Mormon?

It's true that Romney's comment a couple of weeks ago about the cost-benefit ratio for pursuing bin Laden is the gaffe that's revealed the most about what kind of foreign policy chief he'd be. But the whole in-France-they-mate-like-Vulcans quote is the most fascinating, and perhaps the most revealing of his general mindset. A friend recently pointed out that his confusing French policy with a scifi retelling of Mormon mythology could somehow stem from the weird Francophobia evinced in his "leaked" strategy playbook, wherein his advisers appeared to lay out "anti-France" as a kind of global campaign theme:

Enmity toward France, where Romney did his Mormon mission during college, is a recurring theme of the document. The European Union, it says at one point, wants to "drag America down to Europe's standards," adding: "That's where Hillary and Dems would take us. Hillary = France." The plan even envisions "First, not France" bumper stickers.

But if he hates France so much, why confuse it with a Card novel, since, you know, for Card, the Mormons are the good guys? A commenter at the Daily Dish lays out the twisted logic:

I clicked on to the links you featured in your bit on Romney and France's supposed seven year marriage contracts. Like others, when I heard about the seven year marriage contracts, I immediately thought of the science fiction novels of Orson Scott Card. In Card's novels these temporary seven year marriage contracts are a major part of his fictious cultures.

[snip]

So Romney uses stories of fictional marriage contracts to prove that he believes in traditional marriage - but those stories were invented by a fellow Mormon who took as his inspiration the non-traditional marriage system embraced by Romney's great grandparents.

And, Giuliani hearts abortion! I am so looking forward to the next GOP debate.