Nation: The Word

Before making any major personal decision, Michigan's George Romney usually spends an entire day in seclusion meditating and seeking divine guidance. Last week, after a day at home, Mormon Romney had the word. The nation—if not the Deity—would have been very much surprised if it had been no.

In effect, Governor Romney has been campaigning for the presidency since February, when he ventured into six states to decry the decline of American morality. Nine months later—and nine months before the G.O.P. convention in Miami—Romney finally proclaimed what everyone knew he had in him.

"I have decided to fight for and win the Republican...