Colorado Senator regrets ‘Antichrist’ comment

Washington D.C., Apr 27, 2005 / 22:00 pm

Yesterday, freshman Colorado senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) said that he regrets referring to the Christian group Focus on the Family and it’s founder James Dobson as the “Antichrist.”

The senator made the comment referring to the heated battle over President George W. Bush’s judicial nominees, lambasting groups like Focus on the Family for their involvement in the battle.

Salazar said in a written statement that, "After being relentlessly attacked in telephone calls, e-mails, newspapers and radio stations all across Colorado, having my faith questioned, and having my wife's business picketed as part of these attacks, I spoke about Jim Dobson and his efforts and used the term 'the Antichrist.' "

He now regrets the comment saying, “I meant to say this approach was unchristian, meaning self-serving and selfish."

Tom Minnery, Focus on the Family’s vice president for government and public policy was shocked by the charge.

"That's about as bad as you can get . . . it's very offensive. The Antichrist is exactly what the term indicates, the embodiment of everything that opposes Christ. It leaves us speechless."

He added: "It's a person, very powerful, described in the Book of Revelations at the end of the age (who) rises up against Christ and everything Christ stands for …Christ ultimately defeats the Antichrist and reigns on earth.”

Many believe that some judicial nominees have been blocked by Senate Democrats because of their religious beliefs.

Republicans have threatened to change senate rules to block filibusters, which some senators have employed to extend debate on the nominees indefinitely.

Religious groups have accused Salazar of lying in his campaign promises to give qualified judicial candidates an up or down vote, by supporting his party’s filibuster tactics.

A recent statement from Focus on the Family accused Salazar of "overheated rhetoric" and "trying to take attention away from his failure to keep his campaign promises."