Speaking publicly for one of the first times since the end of the presidential campaign, John McCain’s campaign manager Steve Schmidt painted a dire portrait of the state of the Republican Party, arguing that the GOP has largely been co-opted by its religious elements. ‘If you put public policy issues to a religious test, you risk becoming a religious party,’ Schmidt declared. ‘And in a free country, a political party cannot be viable in the long term if it is seen as a sectarian party.’ The remarks came in a passionate, roughly 20-minute speech before the Log Cabin Republican’s national convention, in which Schmidt laid out the case for a far more open party — one which did not consider gay marriage to be a ‘litmus test’ issue. And while he made it a purpose not to offend social conservatives — they ‘remain an indispensable part of the Republican coalition,’ he said — Schmidt did not hide his concerns that religion had become the predominant thread of the GOP. ‘If you reject [gay marriage] on religious grounds, I respect that,’ he said. ‘I respect anyone’s religious views. However, religious views should not inform the public policy positions […]