[SoConPubbie]

No, I don't think there is an analogy equal to Mitt's cowardice at all. Mitt was the governor not some mid-level magistrate of a PITA podunk county in MA. Mitt faced some criticism in the press not the wrath of a Caesar.

Thank you for the correction.

[TigersEye]

Not to make excuses for Pilate but his situation was a bit different. His allegiance was to Rome not to Judea. He faced the temporal judgment of his superiors not an electorate.

If Mitt had stood for the life of the unborn there might have been a few freaks protesting in the street and they could have broken a shop window or two. If Pilate had stood for Jesus' life the entire region he was assigned to administer to might have gone into a full rebellion. And not one person asked him (IIRC) to free Jesus. Not even Jesus. Mitt can't say that no one spoke up for the unborn.