ROMNEY STILL DOGGED BY GAY RIGHTS COMMENTS

Mitt Romney continues to be vexed by comments he made 12 years ago in favor of certain rights for homosexuals.

The comments recently came to light when Bay Windows, a newspaper geared toward New England's gay community, published an editorial critical of the Massachusetts governor and GOP presidential hopeful for backsliding on positions he took in a 1994 interview with the same paper.

But the flack Romney is now taking is coming more from evangelicals critical of his 1994 positions than from gays who are unhappy with his more-recent pronouncments on the subject.

In a story published yesterday by the Associated Press, several right-wing religious figures seemed more than a bit skeptical about supporting Romney in his presumed '08 bid, as Romney tries to position himself to the right of John McCain on social issues.

"Christians believe in conversion, and so they're open to listen. But when a candidate 12 years ago says he is more of a champion on these issues than Ted Kennedy, that needs to be explained," said Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention in the AP article.

The New York Times blog, The Caucus, says the issue is opening a door to two other lower-profile GOP social conservatives, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.