6/10/2006

Rob Schenck Quoted in Washington Post on Brownback Presidential Bid

WASHINGTON, June 9 /Christian Newswire/ -- In a recent biographical sketch of Kansas senator Sam Brownback, The Washington Post selected Rev. Rob Schenck’s quote on the possible presidential candidate as a feature item. Set out from among many others, Rev. Schenck’s comment was enlarged and bordered to capture attention. It read, “One of his major contributions would be to anchor the moral issues in the Republican Party. He in a way could hold the Evangelical and the traditional Catholic vote hostage if the party began to waver on those issues.” Rev. Schenck has known the senator for several years. The two have visited a number of times in both formal and informal settings. Sen. Brownback keeps a Capitol Hill apartment just doors away from the Faith and Action ministry center across street from the US Supreme Court. The US Senate Hart Building, just a stone’s throw away, is where the 49- year old Senator has his office.

“I often bump into Senator Brownback as he’s walking to the Hart building,” said Rev. Schenck. “I’m usually walking to our ministry center from the rail station. Many days we end up at the same corner at the same time. I enjoy chatting with him outside the frenetic pace of the Senate.”

Rev. Schenck first encountered Sen. Brownback at a prayer service organized in the U.S. Capitol after the tragic murders at Colorado’s Columbine High School in 1999.

“I walked into the upper level of the Capitol Rotunda and there was Sam with his face in his hands, deep in prayer. It was obvious to me that he was a genuinely spiritual man. There was no doubt he was seriously talking to God,” Rev. Schenck observed.

Rev. Schenck made his remarks about Sen. Brownback’s possible presidential run after he was pursued by reporter Libby Copeland of the Washington Post. He spoke with Miss Copeland for more than a half hour, mostly about the Senator’s personal faith in Christ.

“I shouldn’t be surprised that the Washington Post picked one of the few political points I made during the interview,” said Rev. Schenck. “But I don’t consider it the most important thing I said. The most important points I made were about Senator Brownback’s sincere Christian faith, his love for God and for people. I emphasized that he is a genuine Christian and a genuinely caring individual.”

Senator Brownback was elected in 1996, filling the seat vacated by Senator Bob Dole. He serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee where he played a pivotal role in the confirmation hearings for Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Jr. Senator Brownback has not announced his intentions to run for president in 2008, but neither has he said he won’t enter the race.

“I believe Sam will run in ’08,” said Rev. Schenck. “Personally, I will vote for him if he does. I personally think he is the best qualified candidate in terms of executive capacity, political priorities and, most importantly, moral leadership.”