Trespassing against God and country

Reading Dobson Offers Insight on 2008 Republican Hopefuls in U.S. News & World Report made me smile--for the insight Dobson offered wasn't what he intended:

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.

Dobson's use of the word brings to my mind the old saw about the Holy Roman Empire being neither Holy nor Roman nor and Empire.

It's interesting to me that lost in the discussion after Dobson's remark was the inherently discriminatory nature of his comments against all non-Christians; and even, apparently, against some Christians.

He does realize, doesn't he, that his type of thinking was sufficiently repugnant to the Founders that Article VI of the Constitution reads: The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

Uncredited photo of Dobson found in various places online.