The James Dobson endorsement letter is out. Read it below:
I am endorsing Gov. Mike Huckabee for President of the United States today. My decision comes in the wake of my statement on Super Tuesday that I could not vote for Sen. John McCain, even if he goes on to win the Republican nomination. His record on the institution of the family and other conservative issues makes his candidacy a matter of conscience and concern for me.
That left two pro-family candidates whom I could support, but I was reluctant to choose between them. However, the decision by Gov. Mitt Romney to put his campaign "on hold" changes the political landscape. The remaining candidate for whom I could vote is Gov. Huckabee. His unwavering positions on the social issues, notably the institution of marriage, the importance of faith and the sanctity of human life, resonate deeply with me and with many others. That is why I will support Gov. Huckabee through the remaining primaries, and will vote for him in the general election if he should get the nomination. Obviously, the governor faces an uphill struggle, given the delegates already committed to Sen. McCain. Nevertheless, I believe he is our best remaining choice for President of the United States.
I've already made some comments about this endorsement in a previous post but let me just add a couple thoughts.
If Huckabee was the one to drop out, would Dr. Dobson have endorsed Romney? You wonder if the Mormonism issue was preventing this, at least in part.
Also, how pro-active will Dobson be in this endorsement? Will he talk it up day after day?
Finally, Dobson didn't mention anything about how Huckabee is the best candidate to fight radical Islam. In all my time talking to national (not grassroots) Evangelical leaders, it is this idea that he is supposedly weak on the war on terror that has probably hurt him the most. You have to wonder how fair that judgement is considering there's no known track record to go on. (Unless you try to extend Huckabee's clemency and pardoning of criminals to terrorists, though that seems a stretch.)
There's no doubt the Dobson endorsement helps. (Either would have been more helpful) But an endorsement from a few notable five star Generals may help him even more.