Kingmaker

The Religion News Service just released a list of its top 10 religiously inclined Republican "Kingmakers" today. Three guesses who they mentioned first.

“When Focus on the Family founder James Dobson can raise doubts by questioning whether Fred Thompson is a ‘Christian,’ or prays the nation doesn’t get ‘stuck’ with a President John McCain, that really reflects the power religious conservatives have to shape the GOP run for the White House,” said RNS Editor Kevin Eckstrom in a news release. “We wanted to find out who the GOP candidates are talking to, and maybe more importantly, who is returning their calls.”

Dobson was the only Colorado Springs leader on the list, which also included folks like Richard Land, political honcho for Southern Baptists, Rod Parsley, well-known megachurch pastor, and Don Wildmon, chairman for the influential and vaguely mysterious collection of Christian leaders known as the Arlington Group.

Notably absent were the rest of conservative Christianity's "big four" (of which Dobson is one). Bapist pastor Jerry Falwell, media guru Pat Robertson and Prison Fellowship head Chuck Colson didn't make the list.