a former altar boy to the national press corps regarding that “devout” Catholic, Rick Santorum

[karynnj]

20. Excellent, though religion does not have to be the source of a candidate's morality and/or values,

it is better when we don't concede that they are "religious" or even "more religious". Santorum, in his public decisions is at least as much a "cafeteria Catholic" as Kennedy and Kerry were. One major difference is not that their religious values were less important, but that both MA Senators saw a need to make law considering the Constitution first. In MA, a top aide to Kennedy, put out an oped this last weekend that disputed the despicable attempt of Scott Brown to say that his decision to co-sponsor the Blunt amendment following in the footsteps of Kennedy. Here is an exerpt:

While Ted Kennedy was pro-choice in all his policy positions, he really did oppose abortion as a personal matter. Still, he would not permit his own beliefs to dictate the decision made by any individuals. Similarly, he felt that individual physicians, nurses and facilities who delivered medical services should not be compelled to provide services against their religious or moral beliefs. And still, he adamantly protected the right of every individual to get the medical care they wanted for themselves.

By contrast, Scott Brown's legislation would permit any employer and health insurer to deny coverage for any essential or preventive medical service to which they morally object, thus creating a real economic barrier for many individual workers, as well as a host of new ways for employers and health insurers to skirt the consumer protections in the Affordable Care Act. Brown wants to allow powerful employers and insurers to dictate their choices and preferences to individuals.

That is where Brown and Kennedy are worlds apart.

Kennedy's priority always was consistent: protecting the rights of the individual. Brown's priority is the protection of the prerogatives of powerful institutions against the individual.

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/health_stew/2012/02/sen_brownsen_kennedy_the_essen.html

In 2006, Kerry spoke on the impact his faith had on him. One daughter was then at Holy Cross College - the values he spoke of echoed the things we heard at their orientations and a mass. My daughter, a world religion major, later said of the link I sent her that his religious perspective was similar to the Jesuit Catholicism she saw at HC. (link to video - http://www.pepperdine.edu/smedia/asx/seaver/dean/20060921_svr_dean_jkerry.asx) It was interesting to hear things that I remembered from 2004 placed in this context - especially seeing that the "global test" was rather similar to the test of a just war. I actually wonder what would have been the impact of not secularizing and globalizing it without saying that was what it was.

Just as there is no reason to concede patriotism to the republicans, there is no reason to religion - and even more so not to concede values.