On Thursday Governor Mitt Romney will give a speech titled “Faith in America” at the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas.  The Library and Romney have both stated that the venue should not be seen as an endorsement, per se.  However, it is surmised that having the speech originate from the Bush Library will give the appearance that Romney has the unofficial backing of the Bush clan.

On Monday, Rush Limbaugh had a great monologue about the Liberals looking for someone to run against.  They have invested so much time and effort into running against George W. Bush and he isn’t on the ballot.  This means they need a suitable substitute to be on the ballot in November.

Rush further theorized that they have found that candidate in Mike Huckabee.  Like Bush, Huckabee wears his Christianity on his sleeve and refers often to the positive influence it has had in his life.  The Liberals, right or wrong, believe that this will allow them to paint him as an extension of Bush and persuade people that he will not bring “change” to Washington.

Most conservative Republicans, however, are drawn to the message of faith and see it as a great plus in a candidate.  Consequently, Huckabee’s numbers are shooting up as he and groups supporting him focus on his religion and his conservative social record.  (In fact, Huckabee is so certain of the reception the religion angle will get him, he plays it nearly every chance he gets.  He has worked so hard to ingrain it into his public persona that it has almost become a farce.)

Romney is also a man of deeply held faith.  However, he seems to be barred from expressing it in part by the political implications of being misunderstood.  But also, I think, because of the respect that Governor Romney has for his own and other’s religious convictions.  Unlike Huckabee, Romney is unwilling to make God the butt of his jokes and the tag line for his presidential campaign.

Into this supercharged atmosphere comes the Romney speech.  On Religion.  At the Bush Library.  It would seem that Romney is going to play his trump.  In one morning he could take the place of Huckabee as the “most Bush-like” and of caring most about religious sanctity in the nation.

The tricky thing about politics is that any asset is also a liability.  Anything that can be used to build you up in the eyes of your supporters can also be used to tear you down by your enemies.  Is having the Bush seal of approval going to help or hurt him in the general election?  And what about being openly religious?

Personally, I think that overall it will be an advantage.  I also think that Romney is less concerned with the politics of these questions than he is with being disingenuous.  Don’t get me wrong, Romney’s campaign is definitely calculating the political ramifications of every move he makes.  That said, he will not abandon his values or character simply for political gain.  And this, ultimately, will make him a stronger candidate than what the Democrats will produce.