Dobson cited "confidential" information as his basis for supporting Miers

On the October 5 broadcast of his nationally syndicated Focus on the Family radio program, James C. Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family, cited "confidential" information that he had been "privy to" in explaining "why, at this moment ... I believe George Bush has made an outstanding selection" in his nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court. Referring to "confidential conversations and contacts" and claiming that he had "talked at length to people that know her," Dobson vouched that Miers is a "deeply committed Christian." Earlier in the broadcast, Dobson warned about the consequences of making a mistake with this nomination, stating that "millions of babies" were at stake "[i]f this nominee is the wrong person," apparently referring to the issue of abortion.

From the October 5 broadcast of the Focus on the Family radio program:

DOBSON: And so, just all in all, I am asking now for the prayers of God's people, not that I would be victorious in any kind of debate or conflict -- who cares? -- but asking that I would not make a mistake here, because there is so much in the balance, John [Fuller, co-host]. There's no way to put it into words. The burden of this decision about this nominee weighs me down in ways that I don't recall experiencing before. Because if I make a mistake here, and others make a mistake, what we're talking about are babies. We're talking about millions of babies. If this nominee is the wrong person, I mean, for 20 or 30 years it will reverberate and will change this nation forever. I recognize the gravity of that, and I am saying to our listeners now what I have said to the Lord, and Shirley [Dobson's wife] and I prayed about this early this morning. I said, "Lord, you know that I've had a policy all of my adult life, when it came to a point of decision, to pray this prayer. Lord, you know I don't have the wisdom to make this decision. You know that what I feel now and what I think is right may be dead wrong. You know that I could get out of your will and do something to hurt the cause of Christ, and I would rather sacrifice my life than do that. And I think I know what you want me to say in regard to this nominee. I think I have your mind. But I'm not sure." You can never be sure. You don't know 'til that justice is on the court and begins making decisions and handing down rulings. You don't know what power will do to that individual when they grant it. Lord Acton said, "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." And so, you know, we don't know not only where an individual is today, but where they will be two, three, four, five, 10, 15 years from now. So, it is a momentous decision, and apparently God has put me in a role of at least expressing my view, and that does influence people, or some people, and I just want to make sure that I do it right. So I've been saying, "Lord, if I'm wrong here, or even if I'm right, get the message through to me. I am listening to you. I will do anything you want. If this is not the person you want on that Supreme Court, all you have to do is tell me so. And do it through any means you want to -- through the Scripture, through friends, through my pastor, through things that people write or say or call to this ministry. Let me know exactly what you want me to do, and I will follow that. In the meantime, I'm doing what I think is right, and I just ask you to second-guess me, because I don't have the intelligence or the wisdom to know what is right in every situation, and certainly not this one." So I'm blatantly asking for the prayers of our friends out there, at this point particularly.

[...]

Well, some have called me today, some whose names our listeners would recognize -- not only members of Congress, but Christian leaders and others -- and saying, "You know, you have taken a stand here. You have made some comments about Harriet Miers, and we want to know what that's based on." So I think maybe I ought to take the rest of the broadcast today, or at least a portion of it, to tell our listeners the rationale. Now, I can't reveal it all, because I do know things that, you know, I'm privy to that I can't describe because of confidentiality. And there are some things I can't go into.

JOHN FULLER (co-host): [Fox News anchor] Brit Hume tried to take you task on a number of those issues.

DOBSON: Everybody has. The New York Times called and asked me to tell them more, and I can only say so much, and then after that I'll say, "Those are confidential conversations and contacts, and I can't go very far in that direction." And I won't. I won't violate that. But with that in mind, let me try to explain why, at this moment, and we'll know more when the hearings are held -- I hope -- why I believe George Bush has made an outstanding selection of Harriet Miers. You won't hear a lot of this in the media, but it is there. For one thing, she is a deeply committed Christian. She has been a believer in Jesus Christ since the late 1970s. I know the individual who led her to the Lord. I know the church that she goes to. I know it's very conservative church. I know that she is a tithe-paying member of that church. I know that she has deep convictions about things. And I have talked at length to people that know her and have known her for a long time. Some of them have been a close personal friend of hers for 25 years. And I trust these people because I know them. I know who they are, and I know their character, and I know what they stand for, and I know their love for the Lord. And they have said to me, "This is a good woman who will do the right thing when the chips are down. She will not be a disappointment, and you cannot go wrong by seeing her in one of the most powerful positions in this country" -- that being the justice who replaces Sandra Day O'Connor on the court. I've heard that over and over from people who are not giving me hearsay. They are saying, "This is my personal friend. I know what she cares about." And I believe -- George Bush cannot say that, and Harriet Miers cannot say that, and maybe I shouldn't say that, but I know it to be true. And that is part of why I have confidence, because I have confidence in those individuals.