Dobson Says He Will Vote McCain

Dr. James Dobson, a prominent evangelical leader who once said he would not vote for John McCain "under any circumstances," announced in the last hour that he planned to vote for McCain.

The announcement by the head of Focus On The Family, an influential Colorado-based ministry, came Friday afternoon at a conservative outreach meeting in Minneapolis, which had been organized by the McCain campaign. "If flip-flopping is a sin, then I am a sinner," Dobson told the group, according to a first-person account of the address, which was confirmed by Dobson's office.

The announcement comes just hours after McCain picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. Palin has been widely cheered by conservative activists for her pro-life views and conservative governance record.