Romney rejects 'inappropriate' marriage pledge By: Maggie
Haberman July 12, 2011 10:03 PM EDT  Mitt Romney became the
first major Republican candidate to outright reject the social
conservative "marriage vow" put forward by the Iowa group the
Family Leader. Beaumont reports    It's the second pledge
related to social issues that Romney has declined to put his
name to. The first was by the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony
list, which wanted candidates to commit to issues that Romney
said would handcuff him in terms of stripping thousands of
hospitals of funding and making federal appointments.  But
unlike 2008, Romney isn't running hard to the right on social
issues - he's focused his message heavily on the economy.   Newt
Gingrich, a social conservative, is declining to sign until some
language is changed, and Tim Pawlenty has yet to say what he'll
do, providing Romney a measure of cover with social
conservatives.  But it's a tacit acknowledgment that Romney, who
has changed positions on some social issue stanc