McCain In The Membrane

James "I beat my dog with a belt" Dobson released a statement today detailing why he cannot in good conscience vote for John McCain for President. Dobson insisted his statement was personal and doesn't reflect the views of his organisation, despite the statement being prominently displayed on the front page of his organisation's web site. So things are getting interesting. Either A LOT of RepubliChristians will be staying home in November, or the Republican Party will finally split. Or white conservative evangelical Christians will learn that they don't have to do whatever Dobson tells them. That said, I still think McCain can take Hillary Clinton in a head to head election. Hopefully the Democratic Party will make the right decision this summer at the convention. But given their fetish for spinelessness and losing presidential elections, I'm not holding my breath. Anyways, the official press release: Dr. James Dobson released a statement to The Laura Ingraham Show today, stating his personal opinions of this critical election. As voters in 24 states head to the polls today to choose a presidential nominee, Dr. James Dobson released a statement to The Laura Ingraham Show today. He stated his personal opinions of this critical election: "I am deeply disappointed the Republican Party seems poised to select a nominee who did not support a Constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage, voted for embryonic stem-cell research to kill nascent human beings, opposed tax cuts that ended the marriage penalty, has little regard for freedom of speech, organized the Gang of 14 to preserve filibusters in judicial hearings, and has a legendary temper and often uses foul and obscene language. "I am convinced Sen. McCain is not a conservative, and in fact, has gone out of his way to stick his thumb in the eyes of those who are. He has sounded at times more like a member of the other party. McCain actually considered leaving the GOP caucus in 2001, and approached John Kerry about being Kerry’s running mate in 2004. McCain also said publicly that Hillary Clinton would make a good president. Given these and many other concerns, a spoonful of sugar does NOT make the medicine go down. I cannot, and will not, vote for Sen. John McCain, as a matter of conscience. "But what a sad and melancholy decision this is for me and many other conservatives. Should Sen. McCain capture the nomination as many assume, I believe this general election will offer the worst choices for president in my lifetime. I certainly can't vote for Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama based on their virulently anti-family policy positions. If these are the nominees in November, I simply will not cast a ballot for president for the first time in my life. These decisions are my personal views and do not represent the organization with which I am affiliated. They do reflect my deeply held convictions about the institution of the family, about moral and spiritual beliefs, and about the welfare of our country." Around noon today, Dr. Dobson talked to national talk-show host Dennis Prager. He made it clear he was not endorsing anyone. "Dr. Dobson's statement speaks for itself," said Gary Schneeberger, vice president of media relations for Focus on the Family Action. "He made it as a private citizen, and it reflects his personal opinion of Sen. McCain's candidacy and record. People can read into it what they like; all I see is his own personal 'straight talk' regarding why he can't vote for one candidate."

What's Mine Is Yours

Two posts from me in the span of a week. What's the world coming to? I haven't weighed in on politics and/or religion in a while. As I think I mentioned before, I've sort of grown tired of this blogging thing. But tomorrow is Super Tuesday, and today an email arrived from David Rees, creator of the always wonderful Get Your War On. Pretty telling stuff, and just another reason I consider Hillary Clinton to be Bush/Cheney Lite, and why tomorrow I'll be voting for Barack Obama. On a side note, can someone please explain to me why Senator Clinton's eight years of being First Lady makes her "more experienced" than Obama? Would I be a more efficient psychologist because my wife was one first? At any rate, Rees writes: Cluster bombs and landmines are particularly terrifying weapons that wreak havoc on communities trying to recover from war. They are fatal impediments to reconstruction and rehabilitation of agricultural land; they destroy valuable livestock; they disable otherwise productive members of society; they maim or kill children trying to salvage them for scrap metal. Over 150 nations have signed the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. It pains me that our great nation has not. But in the autumn of 2006, there was a chance to take a step in the right direction: Senate Amendment No. 4882, an amendment to a Pentagon appropriations bill that would have banned the use of cluster bombs in civilian areas. Senator Obama of Illinois voted IN FAVOR of the ban. Senator Clinton of New York voted AGAINST the ban. Analysts say Clinton did want to risk appearing "soft on terror," as it would have harmed her electibility. I'm not a single-issue voter. But as Obama and Clinton share many policy positions, this vote was revelatory for me. After all, Amendment No. 4882 was an easy one to vote against: Who'd want to risk accusation of "tying the hands of the Pentagon" during a never-ending, global War on Terror? As is so often the case, there was no political cost to doing the wrong thing. And there was no political reward for doing the right thing. But Senator Obama did the right thing. Is Senator Obama perfect? Of course not. Nobody who voted for 2005's wack-ass energy bill is perfect. Nobody who voted to reauthorize the Patriot Act is perfect. But of the two remaining Democratic candidates, one decided her vote on Amendment No. 4882 according to a political calculation. The other used a moral calculation. I'm 35 years old, and over the years, I've had two experiences in the voting booth: I've voted for politicians I really respected, who I knew could never win. And I've voted for politicians I didn't really respect, because I knew they could win. Tomorrow, I'm going to vote for a politician I really respect, who I know can win. (DEEP BREATH) I urge you to vote Senator Barack Obama for the Democratic Party's nominee for President of the United States. Thanks, David Rees I can't argue with that.