Conservative Leaders Unite Behind McCain

Time Magazine is reporting that "about 100 conservative Christian leaders from around the country agreed to unite behind the candidacy of John McCain" at a meeting yesterday in Denver.

The decision appears to be a pragmatic one: Though many conservatives were resistant to McCain's candidacy during the Republican primary, they believe he is closer to their viewpoint on many issues than presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama.

"Collectively we feel that he will support and advance those moral values that we hold much greater than Obama, who in our view will decimate moral values," Mat Staver, chairman of legal advocacy group Liberty Counsel, told Time.

As the magazine notes, McCain has recently declared positions likely to appeal to conservative Christians, including his support for a gay marriage ban in California and his backing of a Bush administration proposal to allow faith-based organizations that accept federal funding to make employment decisions based on religion.