Posted on 10/07/2005 1:34:08 PM PDT by hinterlander
WASHINGTON - An anguished James Dobson prayed Wednesday for a sign from God, telling his Christian radio listeners he was questioning his early endorsement of Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers.
Dobson, founder of Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family, is one of the most prominent religious conservatives to back Miers, citing his trust in President Bush and a confidential briefing he received about her from the White House.
But in his regular radio broadcast Wednesday, Dobson prayed he was not making a mistake.
"Lord, you know I don't have the wisdom to make this decision," Dobson said. "You know that what I feel now and what I think is right may be dead wrong."
He added that he worried that his position "could do something to hurt the cause of Christ, and I'd rather sacrifice my life than do that."
Dobson's "agonized heart," as he called it, is a sign of continuing turmoil in the religious conservative movement over the selection of Miers, a longtime confidante of Bush who has never been a judge and therefore has no paper trail detailing her views.
Many evangelicals, including Dobson, see the pick to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor as critical because O'Connor was viewed as a swing vote on contentious issues like abortion.
For more than 30 years, Dobson has waged a crusade to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion. He said he believes Miers is against abortion, based on talks with her longtime friends and other information.
He also confirmed reports that he received a special briefing from Bush's political adviser, Karl Rove, but still will not discuss the talks in detail.
"When you know some of the things I know - that I probably shouldn't know - that take me in this direction, you'll know why I've said with fear and trepidation (that) I believe Harriet Miers will be a good justice," Dobson said in a broadcast with co-host John Fuller.
"And John, if I have made a mistake here, I will never forget it. The blood of those babies who will die will be on my hands to a degree. Lord, if I am right, confirm it, and if I am wrong, chastise me and I will repent of it and come before these microphones."
In a press conference Tuesday, Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Denver, demanded that the White House give senators whatever information it gave Dobson.
He's not the only one who wants to know the secret.
Dobson said his phone has been ringing off the hook from congressional allies and fellow conservatives seeking reassurance heading into Miers' upcoming confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Some are wary because Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, suggested her name to the president, and because of other hints that have emerged from her record.
Although she contributed funds to President Bush's election, she also has given to Democrats, including Al Gore in 1988.
When she ran for Dallas City Council in 1989, she signed a questionnaire for a gay rights group saying she supported equal civil rights for lesbians and gays. But she also said she was not seeking the group's endorsement and that she opposed a repeal of a law banning sodomy.
On Wednesday, conservative columnist George Will said if 100 capable legal analysts each listed 100 people worthy of being nominated, "Miers' name probably would not have appeared in any of the 10,000 places on those lists."
And the Web site of the Dobson- founded Family Research Council showed a question mark alongside Miers' picture.
Meanwhile, some Republican lawmakers were taking a wait-and-see approach to Miers.
"I just don't know her," Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., said Wednesday. "I'm not going to jump out there and say this is a wonderful choice."
Dobson, who heads one of the largest Christian media empires, said he doesn't want to overestimate his own influence, although countless national media outlets already have quoted him as being in Miers' corner.
All I know is this: Miers better perform or Republicans will lose the next couple elections due to a split ticket.
Enough from the sky pilots, already!
If Harriet Miers is confirmed, she will be the only evangelical on the U.S. Supreme Court. Sometimes it comes down to just "faith and trust" alone.
The sign from God would be a proven track record that a nominee is an originalist and pro-life. There is no such proof with Miers so any thinking conservative or Christian should reject the pick, demand the nomination be withdrawn and proven originalist nominated in her place.
That's a good thing.
In light of some of the deliberate misinformation being reported, I'd take this with a grain of salt until it's got several independent sources.
Why? With 55 seats in the Senate, there is no good reason that we shouldn't be getting a known quantity. That so many conservatives are willing to accept a stealth unknown and have for 25 years is the reason the Supreme Court is the mess it is and will continue to be.
Oooga-booga-BOO! Toss some chicken bones and let us all know what you see, JD.
I always get the willies when a preacher is "Dr." instead of "Rev." or "Fr." - weirdness often abounds as a result.
No, a very stupid thing.
Praying is very stupid?
Oh no!!!
Dobson stuck his neck out.....way out. He's trying to recover.
evangelical ?
I would like to know a bit more about her and what makes her " evangelical " ...
I trust Bush , He knows the importance of this appointment.
I only hope my trust is not misplaced.
My conclusion, he does know something we don't know.
"Sometimes it comes down to just "faith and trust" alone."
Often, our prayers are not answered.
Now, now. You know very well the Republican Party can't possibly accomplish a damn thing without a clear 100-seat Senate majority - and maybe not even then.
It's going to take many years, and hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign donations, to motivate these guys.
So pay up, shut up and vote Republican all the way. Trust 'em.
God may be planning a political wind shift..
It's not the quantity of Senators, but the quality that counts. Have you already forgotten McCain and his band of 14 "moderates"?
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