In his book Leadership, Rudy Giuliani advises us that weddings are optional, but funerals are mandatory.  He's right.

As Mitt Romney attends the funeral of Mormon President Gordon B. Hinckley, some will say this decision to attend was unwise (it takes time away from the campaign trail before Super Tuesday, and may remind some voters of the Mormon issue).

My personal take is that Romney is doing the right thing by attending, and that this honorable decision will hep him -- not hurt him -- with voters, because it shows courage and loyalty.

... Not to compare a church leader to a machine boss, but this reminds me a bit of when Vice President Harry Truman shocked everyone by attending the funeral of his good friend  (and Missouri political boss) Tom Pendergast.  While many pundits speculated this would hurt Truman, most Americans gave him credit for putting loyalty ahead of his his immediate political ambitions.

They were right.