It?s hard to imagine an American political leader proposing to screen political candidates for marital faithfulness as Somchai Sunthornwat, chairman of Thailand?s Thai Rak Thai party has done. But it?s even harder to imagine American politicians clamoring against the proposal on the grounds that infidelity is natural, as many Thai members of parliament did. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has voiced cautious support for the monogamy requirement, even as he works to legalize prostitution and gambling.

Thaksin ? who?s claimed victory in Thailand?s war on drugs ? says that casinos and brothels are part of reality and should be brought ?above ground? as part of an ?entertainment complex.? In other words, malls. It?s interesting to see how the battle over family values plays out in a country that practices Theravada Buddhism. As one commentator points out, ?law vs. morality is a long-running debate with no end in sight.? Kamol Hengkietisak notes that most of the things Buddhism considers a vice aren?t actually illegal, including being lazy and having bad friends.

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney, the Mormon governor of Massachusetts, claims that thousands of years of ?history? speak unanimously toward the rightness of marriage equalling one man, one women, no ifs or buts. Apparently, his history book is a very thin and highly selective one, probably with lots of pictures and a few captions.