I just got off the phone with Evangelical leader Gary Bauer who is a supporter of John McCain.
Here's what he told me regarding the John McCain story in The New York Times:
"I thought it was a particularly good textbook case of yellow journalism. I was very impressed with the Senator and his wife handling of it this morning and I think whatever the Times intentions were I think there is a decent chance that it will create a backlash in favor of the Senator.
My friends Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham, all who are critics of McCain are in fact attacking the article and defending him." Bauer may be defending McCain but this is a good example of how it's important for the McCain campaign to have multiple Evangelical surrogates to go out and defend McCain.
That's why people like Sam Brownback and others will be an important first line of defense when it comes to helping out McCain with social conservatives."