On November 6, Republican hopeful for the U.S. Senate seat in Illinois, James Oberweis, called Catholic League president William Donohue to discuss his remark that equated pro-life lawmakers with the Taliban.  The comment that got him in trouble was, “I think the Taliban is the best example that we’ve ever had about what is wrong with my trying to impose my religious views on you.”

Donohue explains the purpose and the outcome of the phone call:

“I am delighted that James Oberweis called me to discuss his regrettable remark.  Oberweis convinced me that a) he is sorry he made this comment b) it was not his intention to malign pro-life lawmakers and c) he will never make such a remark again.  That’s enough to satisfy me and, I trust, should be enough to satisfy everyone else.  Oberweis was cordial, sincere and honest.  Those are qualities that can carry him a long way.”

On November 4, Republican businessman James Oberweis is expected to announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in Illinois.  On two occasions recently, Oberweis, who is Catholic, explained that the reason he is not a pro-life candidate is because that would put him in the same camp with the Taliban.  He was quoted in last Sunday’s Springfield Journal Register as saying, “I think the Taliban is the best example that we’ve ever had about what is wrong about my trying to impose my religious views on you.”  On the “Steve Dahl Show” (WCKG-FM) on October 24, Oberweis said, “I think that right now we’re getting a very, very strong symbol in the Taliban of what can happen if we try to impose our religious beliefs on others.”

We contacted Oberweis asking him to respond to our news release of October 29 demanding an apology.  He responded saying he had not received all of our e-mail correspondence, so we sent it again.  But there was no response.  Now, in a story in today’s Chicago Tribune, Oberweis says that while he concedes that his comparison was “probably not the best analogy,” he has no intention of apologizing for his remarks.

Catholic League president William Donohue commented as follows:

“James Oberweis compares those who want to stop the killing of innocent babies to those who routinely stone to death women and starve little children.  He said this not once, but twice.  This was deliberate, calculated and designed to smear his opposition.  When given the opportunity to apologize, he digs himself in deeper by refusing to do so.

“We have news for Oberweis: the Catholic League is prepared to go toe to toe with him and will now commence a media campaign providing free advertisement for his despicable comments.  We are exploring several opportunities and will shortly decide on a specific strategy.”