[bannie]

I wonder if he's waiting for Jesus to run for president.

I hope he's not holding his breath: Soul that Christian that won't run for any office.

[steve-b]

Although Dobson has not endorsed any Republican presidential candidate, he told Gilgoff that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was the "brightest guy out there" and "the most articulate politicians on the scene today."

LOL -- denouncing one candidate as "not a Christian" while dishing out mash notes to a serial adulterer.

[engrpat]

Dobson...someone who is taking himself way toooo serious. It would be well if he just went away..very far away and take Pat Buchanan with him.

[toddlintown]

What Dobson means is that Fred hasn't come over and kissed his ring yet.

[steve-b]

Gilgoff is the author of the new book "The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America Are Winning the Culture War."

Other books by the same author include:

The Republican Guard: How Saddam's Army Roasted The Stomachs Of The Infidels In Hell
Son of the Morning Star: How Custer Mopped Up The Sioux Resistance

[DLfromthedesert]

Now Dobson's gone over the edge. Like Gingrich's treatment of his ex-wives qualifies as behavior of an exemplary Christian?

These people start out with good intentions, but somehow succumb to human pride or some other foible, or they wouldn't come out with these foolish statements.

[kgrif_Salinas]

Newt has zero chance of getting the nomination for Rep party. Dobson needs to stop shooting off his mouth about Thompson and who he thinks are "good Christians". Judge not, lest you be judged.

[HeartlandOfAmerica]

"We use that word – Christian – to refer to people who are evangelical Christians.

I'm not an "Evangelical" christian either, but I'm still a Christian.

This is horse**** ;(

This kind of judgmental crap just drew me a LOT farther away from the "Religious Right".

[ReformedBeckite]

Fred just needs to have Dobson over to smoke a few cigars, have a few shots of whiskey, and discuss whether he is a Christian or not.

[HisKingdomWillAbolishSinDeath]

Read the whole article carefully before you get into a big hissy fit. Gingrich is more articulate and conservative than Thompson, but the lib media, and some of his personal choices, make him a tough sell to the wobbly middle.

Dobson Offers Insight on 2008 Republican Hopefuls
Focus on Family Founder Snubs Thompson, Praises Gingrich
By Dan Gilgoff
Posted 3/28/07
Focus on the Family founder James Dobson appeared to throw cold water on a possible presidential bid by former Sen. Fred Thompson while praising former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is also weighing a presidential run, in a phone interview Tuesday.

"Everyone knows he's conservative and has come out strongly for the things that the pro-family movement stands for," Dobson said of Thompson. "[But] I don't think he's a Christian; at least that's my impression," Dobson added, saying that such an impression would make it difficult for Thompson to connect with the Republican Party's conservative Christian base and win the GOP nomination.

Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Thompson, took issue with Dobson's characterization of the former Tennessee senator. "Thompson is indeed a Christian," he said. "He was baptized into the Church of Christ."

In a follow-up phone conversation, Focus on the Family spokesman Gary Schneeberger stood by Dobson's claim. He said that, while Dobson didn't believe Thompson to be a member of a non-Christian faith, Dobson nevertheless "has never known Thompson to be a committed Christian—someone who talks openly about his faith."

"We use that word—Christian—to refer to people who are evangelical Christians," Schneeberger added. "Dr. Dobson wasn't expressing a personal opinion about his reaction to a Thompson candidacy; he was trying to 'read the tea leaves' about such a possibility."

Thompson has said he is leaving the door open for a presidential run and has won plaudits from conservatives who are unenthusiastic about the Republican front-runners. A Gallup-USA Today poll, released Tuesday, showed Thompson in third place among Republican and Republican-leaning voters, behind former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona Sen. John McCain.

While making it clear he was not endorsing any Republican presidential candidate, Dobson, who is considered the most politically powerful evangelical figure in the country, also said that Gingrich was the "brightest guy out there" and "the most articulate politician on the scene today."

Gingrich recently appeared on Dobson's daily Focus on the Family radio program, carried by upward of 2,000 American radio stations, where he made headlines by discussing an extramarital affair he was having even as he pursued impeachment against President Bill Clinton for his handling of the investigation into the Monica Lewinsky affair.

Dobson's phone call to U.S. News senior editor Dan Gilgoff Tuesday was unsolicited. It marked Gilgoff's first discussion with Dobson in over two years, since the magazine's political writer began work on The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America are Winning the Culture War, published this month by St. Martin's Press. Dobson had agreed to answer only written questions for the book.

Dobson's comments yesterday about the 2008 presidential race appear to be his first to a secular news organization in months.

Dobson recently sat down with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at Focus on the Family's Colorado Springs headquarters, marking his only meeting to date with a top-tier Republican presidential candidate. While Dobson would not comment directly on the Romney meeting, he stood by comments he made late last year that many evangelicals would find it difficult to support Romney because of his Mormonism.

[afnamvet]

I do not care if a presidential, state or local candidate is an evangelical Christian or not. My "litmus test" is that the candidate understand the Constitution, that he/she have a political track record of demonstrating that knowledge.

The first amendment guarantees expressing one's faith. Personal religious belief of an individual is just that....personal.

FWIW, I have been an evangelical Christian for more than 40 years.

[Jim Noble]

Romans 14:4

[GOP_Lady]

I don't think that Mitt Romney would be doing/saying anything like this. Funny, isn't it?

[papasmurf]

I disagree with Dr. Dobson making that statement, I think he should have known better.

Wethere he did or not, only he, and God, knows.

I have enormous respect for him, and his work, so I give him a pass on this one.

But, he had better not do it again. LOL

:O)

P

[Seadog Bytes]

Dobson who???

[PFC]

We use that word – Christian – to refer to people who are evangelical Christians

And I for one sure wish that they would stop doing that. They are giving all of us non-Evangical believers of Christ a bad name.

[jgilbert63]

I must have missed the Heavenly edict proclaiming Dr Dobson the arbiter of who passes for a Christian and who doesn't. Perhaps Dr Dobson should spend more time reading his Bible (He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her) and less time pontificating on the fate of Fred Thompson's soul.

[Suzy Quzy]

Like Catholics aren't Christians??? We are the FIRST Christians, but Baptists and other denominations have told their children that we are a CULT!! It's laughable almost....if it wasn;t so dangerous.

[cdcdawg]

It seems that James Dobson has fallen into the same trap that gets so many famous folk. He really is credentialed and impressive in a certain field, but pontificates in other areas with the same level of confidence. I have read some of his work on childrearing, and generally found it helpful. He is not a theologian or a minister. I am not aware of any training on his part in any such field that might make him qualified to assess the condition of another's soul. I haven't read anything that suggests he has more than a passing knowledge of Fred Thompson, either. He should stick to his field of expertise, and matters touching that field. Does he have a right to state his opinion? Sure. Should he have known better than to do so on this matter? Yes. Bottom line, James Dobson should know better.

[eleni121]

Dr. Dobson really needs to stick to what he does best: enlarging the Lord's Church.

He and certain others in the ecclesiastical hierarchy ( of many faiths and denominations) should take a deep breath, step back from the world of Caesar and just preach the Bible and the Word...and stop doing these inane interviews with and making statements about politicians.