Partly what is going on is that, in recent years, the Congressional Republicans in general-- and Senator John McCain in particular-- have so alienated so many conservatives that some of these conservatives are like a drowning man grasping at a straw.
The straw in this case is Obama's recent "refining" of his position on a number of issues, as he edges toward the center, in order to try to pick up more votes in November's general election.
Understandable as the reactions of some conservatives may be, a straw is a very unreliable flotation device.
It seems to me that many evangelicals of late have decided to vote for the candidate who makes them feel the best, the one who talks the best game. Mike Huckabee did in the primary, and won their thorough support. Barack Obama may well make inroads among evangelicals, because talking--well, not off the cuff, but in general--is what he's best at. Feeling has too much replaced thought in evangelical circles, and this is as true in politics as anywhere else. Childish action has been mistaken for childlike faith.
If anyone could tell me what Barack Obama's views are on, say, Iraq, Iran, entitlement programs, or taxation, I'd be surprised. (And Obama himself is included in "anyone.") Failing that, does anyone know what he's done in the last two years in the Senate, or in his years in the Illinois state senate before that? Failing that, does anyone know what his associations were outside of politics? When all these data are taken together, it paints a picture, not of a devout Christian dedicated to a God-honoring politics, but a left-wing secular radical with a plan to remake America along watered-down Marxist lines. That such a man could gain the support of any conservatives at all is a testament to the power a politician has when he simply makes someone feel good.
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