Will the real Romney please step forward

From The Washington Post:

As he prepares for a 2008 presidential campaign, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) has championed the conservative principles that guided President Ronald Reagan, become an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage and supported overturning the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.

It was not always so. Twelve years ago, Romney boasted that he would be more effective in fighting discrimination against gay men and lesbians than Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), distanced himself from some conservative policies of the Reagan administration, and proudly recalled his family's record in support of abortion rights.

The apparent gulf between the candidate who ran for the Senate in 1994 and the one getting ready to run for president has raised questions as to who is the real Mitt Romney. Is he the self-described moderate who unsuccessfully challenged Kennedy in the year of the Republican landslide, the self-described conservative now ready to bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, or merely an ambitious and adaptable politician? The answer could be crucial to Romney's presidential ambitions.

One thing we should remember is that the Washington Post is a partisan political player and discrediting the Republican who appears to be the most conservative is in their interest. If you doubt that they have abandoned any pretence of objectivity just think back on the way that the WaPo's editorial offices became the unofficial "Webb for Senate" campaign headquarters.

Still, the issue they raise in this case is valid. One reason that we were told that Harriet Meiers should not be trusted on the Supreme Court was her history of changing her mind on important matters like her political party and her religion.

Romney's task is going to be explaining how he came to reverse his positions on so many issues of fundamental importance. If he can all well and good. If he can't:

Questions about Romney's conservative credentials could provide an opening for several other Republicans exploring 2008 candidacies, among them Sen. Sam Brownback (Kan.) and outgoing Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.