One of the more regressive proposals in this still-young U.S. presidential election season comes not from a candidate but, rather, from a journalist, specifically Bill Keller, the departing executive editor of the New York Times. In a recent column, Keller asserted that candidates should be subjected to questions about their religious faith.
"I do want to know," Keller wrote, "if a candidate places fealty to the Bible, the Book of Mormon ... or some other authority higher than the Constitution and laws of this country."
Keller followed that column with a blog post that contained a general questionnaire that he sent to all the candidates, as well as a list of specifically tailored questions that he sent to Rep. Michele Bachmann, Gov. Rick Perry, former governors Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman, and former senator Rick Santorum based mainly on their public statements.