Dear Friends,
You have probably heard at least a little bit in the past several days about Dr. James Dobson’s comments regarding presidential candidate Fred Thompson. It is true that Dr. Dobson, as a private citizen in an e-mail to friends, raised questions about former Sen. Thompson’s suitability to be president. What has not been true, in the days that have followed, is the media’s attempt to paint the incident as World War III among socially conservative Christians.
Do some other evangelical leaders disagree with Dr. Dobson’s opinion about Sen. Thompson? Yes. But that is hardly uncommon in the realm of politics — good people, who share common values, can come to different conclusions about which candidate best represents their interests. Yet some in the media have done more than simply report there is friendly disagreement between Dr. Dobson and some of his long-time allies — they’ve tried to make a mountain out of what doesn’t even merit molehill status.
The latest example came in this morning’s Washington Times, in which a reporter, while claiming social conservatives had become “splintered” over whom to support in the race for the White House, attributed remarks very critical of Dr. Dobson to his friend of two decades, Gary Bauer. Mr. Bauer has flatly denied saying these harsh things — taking to the radio, issuing a news release and writing his own e-mail to friends to explain how he was misquoted. The reporter who wrote the story has acknowledged his mistake — and a formal correction appears to be in the offing.
I write to clarify these matters, not to say that everyone in the pro-family movement agrees about the viability of Sen. Thompson’s candidacy. I write merely to say, as we have unfortunately had to say many times in the past, that you shouldn’t believe everything you read, see or hear about this matter in the mainstream media. Their agenda is to undermine our movement by suggesting it is being torn apart, when nothing could be further from the truth. We’re merely doing what all Americans should do when faced with a decision as monumental as who will be our next president: carefully and prayerfully discussing who deserves our votes.
Thank you for your continued partnership with Focus on the Family Action.
Gary Schneeberger
Vice President
Media Relations
