Another bluff from the religious right called? A sign of waning influence? A (perish the thought) flip-flop?! Ah, the joys of schadenfreude at James Dobson's expense...

"I never thought I would hear myself saying this," Dobson said in a radio broadcast to air Monday. "... While I am not endorsing Senator John McCain, the possibility is there that I might."

I bet that hurt. A sensible, pragmatic, eminently political decision on the part of supposedly principled, self-righteous bible thumpers. And yet every aspect of this is bound to suck, thanks largely to their own political machinations.

"There's nothing dishonorable in a person rethinking his or her positions, especially in a constantly changing political context," Dobson said in a statement to the AP.

What a shame that this practice of damning people for 'rethinking positions' now comes back to haunt them. Good luck explaining the subtleties of such 'rethinking' to those you've trained to not get subtle.

And what is it that allows Dobson to swallow his pride and stagger toward his only option, McCain?

Earlier, Dobson had said he could not in good conscience vote for McCain, citing the candidate's support for embryonic stem cell research and opposition to a federal constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, as well as concerns about McCain's temper and foul language.

Dobson said on the radio program he must consider McCain's record against abortion rights and support for smaller government, and added McCain "seems to understand the Muslim threat." He also indicated McCain's choice of a running mate will be a factor.

So, no bashing gays (on the federal level) but a good record against abortion rights. Well, one out of two ain't bad.