Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain

You might not be familiar with Richard Land, but he could very well be the deciding factor in this year's presidential election.

Richard Land, a leader of the 18 million-member Southern Baptist Convention, recently explained why he and other social conservatives are willing to allow McCain to move to the center politically -- at least for now. McCain demonstrated his loyalty to the religious right by choosing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.

"Actions speak louder than words and Sarah Palin speaks not just volumes, but a whole library," said Land.

McCain's anti-abortion position and his choice of Palin give "people reason to believe it will be a pro-life administration," he said.

Land had lobbied McCain to add Palin to the Republican ticket. Now that his wish has been granted, Land is willing to overlook things like McCain's outreach to Log Cabin Republicans, a gay political group.

Land said conservatives appreciate McCain's efforts and don't expect him to make their agenda a cornerstone of his campaign, at least publicly, in the closing two months of the election.

Being able to deliver 18 million votes could make a significant difference in the outcome of this election. Gee ... if only Obama could have aligned himself with a vice presidential nominee who could deliver 18 million votes. Of all the bad luck.