Contact: Michele Combs, Christian Coalition of America, 202-549-6257, michele@cc.org

WASHINGTON, October 2 /Christian Newswire/ -- Christian Coalition of America blogger, Jim Backlin, comments about Senator John McCain's "America is a Christian nation" remarks:

In a Christian Coalition of America blog entry entitled:  "McCain's 'America is a Christian Nation' Comments Might Make Him President," Jim Backlin said:  "Comments like 'America was founded on Christian principles' by Senator John McCain just might make him president.  In an interview last Saturday with a Christian-oriented website called Beliefnet, Senator McCain stated that "I just have to say in all candor that since this nation was founded primarily on Christian principles, personally, I would prefer someone who has a grounding in my faith."  The fact that the left-wing Muslim groups vociferously reacted against McCain's remarks, just added validity to his comments, and indeed value for his presidential nomination hopes.

Senator McCain, who at this time last year led in most of the national polls for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, needs something to break out of his current funk, that is, 4th place in most polls behind Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, and Mitt Romney and just above Mike Huckabee.  Social conservatives who have been flailing around for a candidate who agrees with them on abortion and homosexual marriage -- even after Fred Thompson's entry into the race last month -- seem not to trust any of the frontrunners, most especially pro-abortion and liberal-on-most-social issues, Rudy Giuliani. 

In the Beliefnet interview, Senator McCain went on to say that he agreed with a recent poll saying that a whopping 55% of Americans believe that the United States Constitution established America as a Christian Nation.  McCain said:  I would probably have to say yes, that the Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian nation."  On Sunday, he clarified his statement by saying that the United States of America was founded on the values of Judeo-Christian values.  The Muslim groups fired another fusillade of comments following the McCain clarification.  Who knows?  The McCain Straight Talk Express just might begin appealing to a divided conservative community with courageous comments such as these."