Arguing that John McCain needs to step up evangelical outreach big time, David Brody says the Arizona senator will have an easier time winning evangelicals if he’s facing Hillary Clinton rather than Barack Obama:

Look, McCain has a bill of goods to sell to social conservatives. I won’t list all of that here but campaign finance reform and his support for federal funding of embryonic stem cell research hurt him with Evangelicals but he may also have a perception problem. John McCain doesn’t come off as the warmest guy in the World. Plus, throw in the “agents of intolerance” remark made in 2000 which some have not forgotten and you have a recipe for apathy. It may not hurt him as much if Hillary Clinton is the nominee but running against Barack Obama will be different. Obama is seen as a dynamic, smiling presence that isn’t afraid to talk about his faith.

If Obama has such an advantage among white evangelicals, why has Hillary Clinton won them hands down in the primaries (as evidenced here and here)?

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