In Salt Lake City, Utah, Mormons have amassed the world’s largest genealogical records repository. Their Family History Library consists of 142,000 square feet, containing roughly 2 1/2 million rolls of microfilm, and many hundreds of thousands of other primary historical documents: books, microfiche cards, periodicals, bibles… a veritable feast for ancestral researchers.
It’s open (and free) to the public, and AP writers Jennifer Dobner and Glen Johnson evidently wasted some time used that vast resource to great advantage (or disadvantage, depending on your perspective):
SALT LAKE CITY – While Mitt Romney condemns polygamy and its prior practice by his Mormon church, the Republican presidential candidate’s great-grandfather had five wives and at least one of his great-great grandfathers had 12.
Polygamy was not just a historical footnote, but a prominent element in the family tree of the former Massachusetts governor now seeking to become the first Mormon president.
*Gasp!!!*
And did you know that other Mormons have run for the Presidency?
Other Mormons have run for the White House, including Romney’s father in 1968 and Sen. Orrin Hatch …, R-Utah, in 2000. But Mitt Romney’s stature as a leading 2008 contender has renewed questions about his faith and its doctrines.
They left out Joseph Smith, of course, but that’s understandable. Going back so far in time (1844) might have seemed a bit unrelated to 2007, and this is clearly meant to be a timely, relevant news article.
Many folks might think that counting Mitt Romney’s great (and great-great) grandfathers’ wives might not be applicable to his presidential campaign. After all, his ancestors have nothing to do with Romney’s experience, politics, and (often shifting) positions on the issues. I’m sure, though, that there must be some crucial, meaningful point to this.
Dobner and Johnson are doubtless worried that Mitt possesses the seldom-discussed, carefully concealed Polygamy Gene! And therefore, we should now be Very Worried that Romney won’t be able to control his genetic destiny — that he’ll exercise his executive authority to impose polygamy upon us all!
No, you say? You don’t think there’s a dangerous polygamy gene?
Hunh. Then the only other explanation I can come up with for this AP article is… a smear campaign.
Surely — surely! — they wouldn’t stoop so low… right?
* * * * *
Some other opinions:
Ed Morrissey wonders whether his great-grandfather’s drunkenness means his driver’s license should be revoked.
Kevin Hayden notices that John Kennedy didn’t have to explain the Crusades (and has some strongly worded advice for the MSM).
Michael Stickings is… underwhelmed. (“Oooh. aaaah.”)
More via memeorandum, here.
Update: Ezra Klein writes a great one (as is so often the case):
What they do know is that there is a certain subsection of Americans who won’t be so fair, who’ll be subconsciously or overtly repulsed, who will e-mail this story to all their friends, who will move from not understanding it to slowly distorting, who will create chain letters about the hidden polygamy of Mitt Romney, who will inveigh against him from church pews.