Just before Romney’s speech, Ralph Reed told Anderson Cooper:

And I think what we need to do is, we need to stop doing doctrinal frisks of presidential candidates and theological G.I. tract exams, and let’s do something that’s more mainstream and — and, frankly, more in line with our traditions, which is, let’s ask them what their values are, what their public policy stands are, and what their ability to lead is.

It’s hard to resist the old Church Lady response, “Now isn’t that special?” After devoting much of his career to activating evangelicals to vote Christian (in the evangelical sense), now he’s upset that the country is reaping what he sowed. But if the Romney candidacy has the effect of forcing people like Reed to recognize and above all argue for constitutional principles of separation, then it behooves the rest of us to roll our eyes heavenward and give thanks. For the entire Reed-Cooper exchange see here.