The Gazette reports Colorado Springs police arrested eight protesters from a radical anti-abortion group who refused to leave the lobby at Focus on the Family headquarters Thursday morning. Members of American Right to Life Action were protesting Focus chief James Dobson’s endorsement of Republican John McCain.
That’s right, Dobson — one of the most prominent abortion foes in the country — roused the ire of a the Colorado-based absolutist organization (which opposes abortion under any circumstances) because they believe McCain, avowedly anti-abortion himself, isn’t hard-core enough.
The protesters from American Right to Life Action believe Dobson “violated a pledge a very public pledge to God” to never support a candidate who supports abortion. Although McCain’s Web site says he believes that Roe v. Wade should be overturned and calls abortion “a human tragedy,” the group charges that McCain voted to approve funds for abortion in the case of pregnancies stemming from rape or incest.
About a dozen protesters showed up at Focus at 7:45 .a.m., but remained outside for two hours. Then, at 9:45 a.m., eight of the protesters went inside to try to talk to Focus president Jim Daly and refused to leave, so a police officer working extra-duty assignment on the campus summoned other officers.
“Apparently they weren’t causing a disruption or anything. They were just saying they weren’t going to leave,” said Colorado Springs police spokesman Lt. David Whitlock.
Dobson, who said in January he wouldn’t vote for McCain “under any circumstances,” changed his tune after McCain named Sarah Palin as his running mate on Friday.
Just to muddy things further, apparently Dobson still isn’t all in for the McCain candidacy:
Although Dobson’s quote might seem to be an endorsement, Focus spokesman Tom Minnery made a distinction, saying Dobson “supports,” but has not yet formally endorsed McCain.
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