Palin Helps McCain With Religious Right By Warren Cole Smith (EP News)-Family Research Council Tony Perkins said, "It's obviously an outstanding choice.  Very smart.  Very strategic.  Those who might have voted for Obama only because they wanted to be a part of something historic can now vote for the Republicans for the same reason." Richard Viguerie, the conservative icon who has been brutally critical of McCain, was even more effusive, "She's perfect."   Setting aside the doctrine of original sin for a moment, religious conservatives do think the selection of Sarah Palin as the vice presidential candidate is pretty near perfect.  Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission, was not the only person to observe that she was "straight out of veep central casting."  She's active in an evangelical church.  She has five children, including one with Down's Syndrome that she chose to give birth to even though she knew the child would be a Down's baby.  And, of course, she's a woman. Even Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, who made national headlines when he said he could not support McCain "under any circumstances" admitted that this was a circumstance that he did not think was possible.  Sources close to Dobson told EP News that in a private meeting on the afternoon of the Palin announcement he said he would reconsider his position on McCain.   Dobson called Palin "a genuine reformer. A deeply committed Christian."  On a special Focus Action radio broadcast,  Dobson said Palin has helped change his mind on McCain. "If I went into the polling booth today, I would pull the lever for John McCain," he said.  Dobson applauded the Republican Party's strong platform plank against destructive embryonic stem-cell research, which uses much stronger language than in years past.The broadcast also featured Gary Bauer, Tony Perkins, Kelly Shackelford and Tom Minnery, who expressed unanimous support for McCain and Palin. "I don't remember this kind of electric moment since I went to the inauguration of Ronald Reagan," Dobson said. Gary Bauer was already one of McCain's most enthusiastic supporters, so it is no surprise that he called the selection a "grand slam home run" that is "guaranteed to energize values voters."  It apparently did just that.  Senior officials at the Republican National Committee said that in the hours after the Palin announcement, more than $3-million was donated on-line to the McCain campaign.  SIDEBAR: Dobson: The Palins Are in My Prayers (EP News)--James C. Dobson, Ph.D., issued the following statement today in the wake of media reports that Bristol Palin, 17-year-old daughter of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is pregnant. "In the 32-year history of Focus on the Family, we have offered prayer, counseling and resource assistance to tens of thousands of parents and children in the same situation the Palins are now facing. We have always encouraged the parents to love and support their children and always advised the girls to see their pregnancies through, even though there will of course be challenges along the way. That is what the Palins are doing, and they should be commended once again for not just talking about their pro-life and pro-family values, but living them out even in the midst of trying circumstances. "Being a Christian does not mean you're perfect. Nor does it mean your children are perfect. But it does mean there is forgiveness and restoration when we confess our imperfections to the Lord. I've been the beneficiary of that forgiveness and restoration in my own life countless times, as I'm sure the Palins have. "The media are already trying to spin this as evidence Gov. Palin is a 'hypocrite,' but all it really means is that she and her family are human. They are in my prayers and those of millions of Americans." Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, also praised Gov. Palin's pro-life values.  "Sarah Palin's family is a microcosm for every courageous pro-life story there is," she said. "Her response of boundless love and inclusiveness is a shining example for every family facing a crisis." Palin and her husband Todd say they support their daughter and her boyfriend, who have plans to marry, and have asked the media to respect their privacy.  "We're proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents," they said in a statement Monday. "As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support."