McCain to Make Amends
With Dobson
Sen. John McCain says
he hopes to make amends
with conservative
Christian leader James Dobson
By JIM DAVENPORT, AP
from cbsnews.com on the Web, January 16, 2007
Columbia, S.C. -- 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.
In a radio interview with KCBI, a Dallas Christian station, Dobson argued that
McCain didn't support traditional marriage values and complained that the
campaign finance legislation he co-authored hurt Christian broadcasters.
"Speaking as a private individual, I would not vote for John McCain under any
circumstances," Dobson said on KCBI.
The 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign finance legislation stifled "Christian radio"
and "kept us from telling the truth right before elections," Dobson contended.
"He is not in favor of traditional marriage and I pray that we will not get
stuck with him."
During a campaign stop in Columbia, S.C., McCain said: "I'm obviously
disappointed and I'd like to continue and have a dialogue with Dr. Dobson and
other members of the community."
McCain has said gay marriage should not be legal but has angered some
conservatives with his opposition to a constitutional amendment banning same-sex
unions. The Arizona senator said the issue should be left to the states.
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.
McCain has reached out to conservatives he once crossed. Last May, he
spoke at Falwell's Liberty University in Virginia. In 2000, Falwell
opposed McCain's campaign for the GOP nomination and supported George W. Bush.
At the time, McCain labeled Falwell and others on the right and the left as
"agents of intolerance."
During his 2000 presidential bid, McCain also criticized Bob Jones University, a
Christian fundamentalist college, for its ban on interracial dating.
In a GOP debate with Bush, McCain said that given the opportunity to speak at
the school as Bush had, he would have said: "Look, what you're doing in
this ban on interracial dating is stupid, it's idiotic, and it is incredibly
cruel to many people."
McCain said last year that he wouldn't turn down an opportunity to speak at Bob
Jones.
Since 2000, the school has lifted its interracial dating ban.
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