Dobson resigns as chairman of Focus on the Family

By ERIC GORSKI, AP Religion Writer

AP – In a Tuesday, March 11, 2008 photo, Christian evangelical leader and founder of 'Focus on the Family', …

DENVER – Conservative evangelical leader James Dobson has resigned as chairman of Focus on the Family but will continue to play a prominent role at the organization he founded more than three decades ago.

Dobson notified the board of his decision Wednesday, and the 950 employees of the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based ministry were informed Friday morning, said Jim Daly, the group's president and chief executive officer.

Dobson, 72, will continue to host Focus on the Family's flagship radio program, write a monthly newsletter and speak out on moral issues, Daly said.

Dobson's resignation as board chairman "lessens his administrative burden" and is the latest step in a succession plan, the group said. Dobson began relinquishing control six years ago by stepping down as president and CEO.

"One of the common errors of founder-presidents is to hold to the reins of leadership too long, thereby preventing the next generation from being prepared for executive authority," Dobson said in a statement. "... Though letting go is difficult after three decades of intensive labor, it is the wise thing to do."

While Focus on the Family emphasizes that it devotes most of its resources to offering parenting and marriage advice, it is best known for promoting conservative moral stands in politics.

Dobson, a child psychologist and author, has gotten more involved in politics in recent years. He endorsed Republican John McCain last year after initially saying he would not, and also sharply criticized Democratic candidate Barack Obama.

On political matters, Dobson "will continue to speak out as he always has — a private citizen and not a representative of the organization he founded," said Gary Schneeberger, a Focus on the Family spokesman. He said the nonprofit ministry and Focus on the Family Action — an affiliate set up under a different section of the tax code that permits more political activity — will continue to be active on public policy.

Dobson has a devoted following. His radio broadcast reaches an estimated 1.5 million U.S. listeners daily. Yet critics say his influence is waning, pointing to evangelicals pushing to broaden the movement's agenda beyond abortion, gay marriage and other issues Dobson views as most vital.

"In the short term, in the near term, Dr. Dobson will stay committed to the issues close to his heart," Daly said in an interview. "He'll continue to speak out on those topics."

Gay-rights and liberal groups issued statements Friday warning that Dobson is not leaving the scene. Americans United for Separation of Church and State portrayed the move as Focus on the Family "merely rearranging the deck chairs on its big, intolerant ship."

D. Michael Lindsay, a Rice University sociologist who studies evangelicals and politics, said that although Dobson will continue to be Focus on the Family's public face, his board resignation is significant because "he no longer has his hands on the levers of power" there.

Observers have questioned whether Dobson's organization can remain a key player once its founder steps away. Longtime Dobson ally Gary Bauer said in an interview Friday he believes it can.

"Their constituency not only wants help on how to keep a marriage strong or how to deal with a challenging child, but also feels as if it's surrounded by hostile territory in the culture," said Bauer, former president of the Family Research Council, which Dobson founded in the early 1980s.

Daly said there is no timetable for Dobson to leave the radio program, and the group will "look for the next voice for the next generation" while Dobson remains on the air.

That will likely mean not one person behind the microphone but several speaking on their respective areas of expertise, Daly said. The organization, anticipating a post-Dobson era, for several years has tried out different voices on the broadcast and in giving media interviews on hot-button social issues.

At the same time, Focus officials have acknowledged difficulties in raising money from younger families critical to its future. The economy also has hurt. Last fall Focus on the Family eliminated more than 200 staff positions, its largest employee cutbacks ever.

Daly said the group is now "right on track" with a revised annual budget of $138 million. The new board chairman is retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Patrick P. Caruana, a longtime board member and a former executive with defense contractor Northrup Grumman.

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World's Best Job Website Flooded In Final Hours

BRISBANE, Australia — A lucky 200 people have been shortlisted for the chance to become the caretaker of a tropical Australian island, dubbed by promoters as the "Best Job in the World."

But tourism officials acknowledged Friday that many last-minute applications were lost because the Web site was flooded with traffic.

Nearly 35,000 people submitted video applications for the job with Tourism Queensland, which pays a salary of 150,000 Australian dollars ($97,000) to relax on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef for six months while writing a blog to promote the island.

The job is part of a AU$1.7 million campaign to publicize the charms of northeastern Queensland state.

Anthony Hayes, Tourism Queensland's chief executive, said a wave of 7,500 applications hit the Web site in the 72 hours before Monday's deadline.

"This massive amount of traffic understandably slowed the site down and regretfully some people weren't able to get their video application in on time," he said. "It has been frankly heartbreaking because people have gone to so much trouble, and we have lost some fantastic applications. But to be fair to everyone, we have to be consistent."

The tourism board will announce 50 finalists Tuesday on its Web site. The public will then have until March 24 to vote for their favorite applicant.

The top vote-getter and 10 other people chosen by the tourism board will be flown to Hamilton Island for interviews. The winner will be announced May 6, and the job begins July 1.

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Mexico to send up to 5,000 more troops to Ciudad Juarez

Troops stand guard outside a building in Ciudad Juarez where federal security officials are meeting to discuss the escalating violence in the border city.

The increase would triple the law enforcement presence in the border city, which has been racked by drug violence. Its police chief quit recently and its mayor has received threats.

By Ken Ellingwood

Reporting from Mexico City -- Amid growing alarm over drug violence in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, the Mexican government will deploy as many as 5,000 more troops to the border city, officials said Thursday.

The increase would triple the number of troops and federal police officers operating there as part of President Felipe Calderon's offensive against drug traffickers.
Ciudad Juarez Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz said the added troops would give the military a higher profile by taking control of police functions, including street patrols. Currently, soldiers tend highway checkpoints, guard crime scenes and take part in special operations, such as house searches.

The city is without a police chief. Roberto Orduña Cruz quit last week after several officers were slain and someone posted threats saying more would be killed unless he stepped down.

On Wednesday, top Mexican security officials traveled to Ciudad Juarez to reassure local leaders and vowed to significantly boost the federal presence.
A little more than 2,000 soldiers and 425 federal police officers are assigned to Juarez in addition to local police, army spokesman Enrique Torres said. He said the reinforcements could begin to arrive in two weeks.

The move would represent a continuation of Calderon's strategy of relying on the army and federal police to counter drug-trafficking gangs in the country's main smuggling corridors. He had deployed 45,000 soldiers and 5,000 police officers across the nation as part of the crackdown, launched two years ago.

The offensive has sparked shootouts between soldiers and traffickers and triggered vicious fighting between drug gangs that has propelled the country's fast-climbing death toll. More than 6,000 people were slain in 2008, and the figure has exceeded 900 this year, according to unofficial tallies by the news media.

Ciudad Juarez, which had about 1,600 killings last year, has been on edge over the police chief's resignation and threats that appeared over the weekend against the mayor.

Reyes and other officials have described the police slayings and threats as "acts of terrorism."

In a radio interview Thursday, Reyes said the city's 1,600-member police force was too small even before officers were ordered to double up in patrol cars after the recent threats. A beefed-up military contingent will help combat other crimes, such as robberies, kidnappings and extortion, the mayor said.

Reyes has vowed to continue trying to clean up the city's corruption-laden police force, which, like many in Mexico, has been infiltrated by drug smugglers.

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