IS ROMNEY BUYING OFF EVANGELICAL MINISTERS? AND WHEN THEY RETRACT THEIR ENDORSEMENTS, DO THEY GIVE BACK THE MONEY?

Odd how some of the most bigoted of the religionist right fanatics-- the ones who have taught their sheeplike flocks to hate and detest and fear Mormons (and anyone else classified as an "other")-- have endorsed Mitt Romney. Why? Well, for one thing Romney's long and well-documented public career proves conclusively that he is a man with absolutely no moral foundation. The sobriquet "Flip Flop Mitt" hardly begins to describe how completely undependable he is and has always been on issues the religionist right sees as black and white. And for another thing, these same kooks teach, very specifically, that Romney is not a Christian but a member of a dangerous cult. And yet...

Mitt Romney's presidential campaign has been embraced in a most unlikely place: at Bob Jones University, the influential Christian college that teaches that his Mormon church is a cult.

Religionist loonies in the South are turning to Romney in despair after looking at the rest of the pygmies™. Bob Jones III and Robert Taylor, two of the fuehrers at Bob Jones Buy Bull College have endorsed him, as has Don Wilton, ex-president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, and John Wilke ex-president of the National Right to Life Committee. So far every victory Romney has had is one he's written a big check for. Is he bribing these religionist rascals? Many think so.

In fact, one of the loons, Wilton, has just officially withdrawn his endorsement, calling it a "personal error." Although Romney has been trumpeting his successful seduction of Wilton all over the Buy Bull Belt he has now agreed to cease and desist making any reference to the mistaken endorsement. Does he have to return the money?

Wilton says he only sold gave Full O'Mitt the right to publicize the endorsement locally, once Romney-- who, characteristically, wanting his money's worth-- blabbed it all over the country, he endangered the tax-free empire the good Reverend Wilton has built for himself as "pastor" of the First Baptist megachurch in Spartanburg.

A Republican activist who teaches political science at Clemson University, Dave Woodard, says Romney is getting the religionist endorsements for another reason than payoffs. "They just realized that he's the best of a bad lot." Woodard is betting that for all the millions and millions of dollars Romney has spent trying to buy votes and endorsements in backwards areas of South Carolina, Frederick of Hollywood will win the primary there anyway, something that will effectively end Romney's costly but long-shot campaign.

Data from three recent AP-Ipsos polls showed that among born-again Christians, 22 percent said they'd vote for Thompson, 17 percent for Giuliani and 13 percent for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Romney was at 8 percent, essentially tied with Huckabee, who had 9 percent, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who had 8 percent.

At that rate, Romney could spend a billion dollars and still lose the GOP nomination battle.