romney on french marriage

Wow, I missed this one. Mitt Romney apparently lives in a parallel universe.

"It seems that Europe leads Americans in this way of thinking," Romney told the crowd of more than 5,000. "In France, for instance, I'm told that marriage is now frequently contracted in seven-year terms where either party may move on when their term is up. How shallow and how different from the Europe of the past."

I'm sorry, what?

There's speculation about where he got this. Some people think it came from an Orson Scott Card sci-fi novel. Others believe it's from a 2003 French romantic comedy. Regardless of where he came up with it, it's pretty inexcusable that the Washinton Post printed this uncritically, without noting, "Hey! Romney pulled this one out of thin air!" How many poorly-informed Americans now hate France even more?

Romney, quit pandering. Everyone thinks your religion's a cult; you have a less than zero chance of winning the nomination for what has become, essentially, an evangelical Christian party. I'd say quit while you're ahead, but I think it's too late.

(There's also no possibility of excusing this by saying, Well, he screwed up, but it was an off-the-cuff remark. It was a graduation speech. He planned it, wrote it down and gave it. The man meant to say this. I just cannot fathom his mental processes. For a moment I thought maybe he was trying to criticize the PACS system -- essentially civil unions -- but, good God, just criticize the PACS and not some mythical seven-year marriage of your own creation.)