Barack Obama got good reviews from some conservative quarters after his speech outlining a plan for building upon the faith-based initiative established by President Bush. But John McCain got better news from the right -- signs of a real push by conservative Christian leaders to coalesce on his behalf.
First, a taste of the reaction to the Obama speech Tuesday in Ohio. Commenting on MSNBC, Patrick Buchanan said that although the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee wouldn't "win over the evangelicals," his embrace of the federal program that seeks to make it easier to funnel tax money to religious-based charities would "diminish some of the hostility" toward him among social conservatives.
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Top of the Ticket blog excerpts: In Section A of the July 6 Weekend Edition, an item about the possibility that Barack Obama will campaign at a NASCAR event misspelled bank robber Willie Sutton's name as Willy.
Added Buchanan: "It looks like he's reaching out to them. . . . It's a win for him."
David Brody, senior national correspondent for the Christian Broadcasting Network, said Wednesday on CNN that the reaction to Obama's speech within the community Brody covers was "relatively positive." Obama, he added, "has seemed to be one step ahead when it comes to this faith-and-politics intersection."
Brody also detailed on his website a huge step that a major figure on the religious right has taken in support of McCain. Phil Burress, head of the Ohio-based Citizens for Community Values, not so long ago said of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee: "We don't like him and he doesn't like us." But, as Brody related, Burress has undergone an attitude adjustment after a sit-down with McCain.
Indeed, the evangelical leader sent out a note to allies that concluded: "I was once one of those people who said 'no way' to Sen. John McCain as president. No longer. The stakes are too high. And if Obama wins I need to be able to get up on Nov. 5, look at myself in the mirror, and when I pray, say, 'Lord, I did all that I could.' "
Burress also was among about 100 conservative Christian leaders who met in Denver last week and "agreed to unite behind" McCain's candidacy, Time magazine's Michael Scherer reported.
Noticeably absent from the meeting was James Dobson, whose Focus on the Family organization is headquartered in Colorado Springs, an easy drive from Denver. But if Dobson is still keeping his distance from McCain, other social conservatives no longer are.
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