In a New York Times op-ed this morning, Newsweek contributing editor Kenneth Woodward pens the title line, as well as a few other memorable assertions: "Among the reasons Americans distrust the Mormon church is Mormon clannishness"; "A good Mormon is a busy Mormon"; ."Mormons like to hire other Mormons"; "Mormons are perceived to be unusually secretive...This attitude has fed anti-Mormon charges of secret and unholy rites"; and "Any journalist who has covered the church knows that Mormons speak one way among themselves, another among outsiders."

Substitute "Jew" for "Mormon."  Ask yourself if the Times would have published such a piece even if it ended with a ringing declaration against the idea of refusing to vote for a Jew for president.   I am amazed the editors missed the obvious title for the piece "Protocols of the Elders of New Zion."

After a year-plus working on this subject, I thought I was past surprise at hearing people say things about Mormons that they would never say about any other religious, racial or ethnic group in America.  But that the New York Times would casually publish such a string of accusations about six million Americans is another occasion for a "wow." 

Please note that as I doubt very much that Mr. Woodward is a spokesman for the evangelical movement, this makes the third major attack from the left on Romney's Mormon faith, joining Jacob Weisberg's epic bit of bigotry, and The New Republic's place showing in the category.

I look forward to Article VI Blog's take, but I wonder at what point will Beltway-Manhattan elite media have to recognize that Romney has been asked often and has answered all of the "questions" raised by Mr. Woodward?  It is one of the essential traits of bigotry to refuse to acquaint oneself with the easily available facts about the object of the scorn so as to nurse that scorn more easily. 

UPDATE: Captain's Quarters has more.