From tact and sensitivity to respect and even logic: There were so many things lacking from Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert's comments on the tragic Colorado movie-theater shooting massacre.
On a radio show this morning, even as the story continued to develop, the Texas congressman took the opportunity to get political and blamed "ongoing attacks on Judeo-Christian" belief for the incident that killed at least 12 people, the Huffington Post reports:
During a radio interview on The Heritage Foundation's "Istook Live!" show, Gohmert was asked why he believes such senseless acts of violence take place. Gohmert responded by talking about the weakening of Christian values in the country.
"Some of us happen to believe that when our founders talked about guarding our virtue and freedom, that that was important," he said. "Whether it's John Adams saying our Constitution was made only for moral and religious people … Ben Franklin, only a virtuous people are capable of freedom, as nations become corrupt and vicious they have more need of masters. We have been at war with the very pillars, the very foundation of this country."
"You know what really gets me, as a Christian, is to see the ongoing attacks on Judeo-Christian beliefs, and then some senseless crazy act of a derelict takes place."
Thankfully, other politicians had better judgment. Mitt Romney, who could have appealed to his base with similar comments, made thoughtful and respectful remarks instead, saying in a statement released today:
Ann and I are deeply saddened by the news of the senseless violence that took the lives of 15 people in Colorado and injured dozens more. We are praying for the families and loved ones of the victims during this time of deep shock and immense grief. We expect that the person responsible for this terrible crime will be quickly brought to justice.
Read more at the Huffington Post.