Following up on an item from Monday, James Dobson, head of the Focus on the Family empire, indicated that he wouldn’t vote for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in 2008 “under any circumstances.” Dobson added that he prayed “we won’t get stuck with him.”
How did McCain, whose desperation has caused him to reach out to some pretty unsavory characters, respond? Shamelessly.
Sen. John McCain said Tuesday he hopes to patch things up with conservative Christian leader James Dobson, who recently said he wouldn’t support the Republican’s presidential bid under any circumstances. […]
“I’m obviously disappointed and I’d like to continue and have a dialogue with Dr. Dobson and other members of the community,” McCain said Tuesday during a stop in Columbia. […]
“I’m happy to say that I’ve established a dialogue with a number of other leaders,” including the Rev. Jerry Falwell, “Purpose Driven Life” author Rick Warren and Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention.
It’s worth remembering that McCain, just six years ago, insisted that religious right leaders were “agents of intolerance” to whom Republicans shouldn’t “pander.” Indeed, he argued publicly that he’d like to see them out of the GOP altogether. Shortly thereafter, McCain said he “must not and will not retract” his remarks, noting that they were “carefully crafted” and “carefully thought out.”
Since then, the religious right movement has grown less tolerant and more callous, while McCain has grown less principled and more pathetic. Worst of all, it won’t work — Dobson may be unhinged, but he knows a charlatan when he sees one. McCain is selling his soul in exchange for nothing.
