Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Mike Huckabee "responded" to pro-life leader Dr. James Dobson on Wednesday morning when he said he would definitely support John McCain over either of the pro-abortion Democratic candidates. Dobson, and other conservatives, have issued statements saying they wouldn't vote if McCain is the GOP nominee. On Tuesday, Dobson issued a statement saying he is disappointed that the Republican Party "seems poised to select a nominee who ... voted for embryonic stem-cell research to kill nascent human beings," and takes positions contrary to his on other political issues.
"I am convinced Sen. McCain is not a conservative, and in fact, has gone out of his way to stick his thumb in the eyes of those who are," Dobson, the head of Focus on the Family, added. " I cannot, and will not, vote for Sen. John McCain, as a matter of conscience."
Asked in general about those like Dobson or Rush Limbaugh who say they would not vote or pick someone else before they would support McCain, Huckabee said he disagreed.
"Well, you know what? They're not a conservative," the pro-life former Arkansas governor told CNN.
"If they say that, then that just proves something: They're more about themselves than they are the cause. Because there's no way that a true conservative would vote for Hillary Clinton," he added.
He told CNN he respects McCain and "would certainly vote for him before I would vote for Hillary or Obama."
"Some people need to switch to decaf and realize, folks, we may not get all of our battles just like we want, but there's a larger context in which this has to be fought," Huckabee added.
The public comments of support for McCain in no way mean Huckabee is dropping out or that he is considering a spot as his running mate.
On NBC's "Today" show, Huckabee said, "We're going to be opponents over the next several weeks, and we're not going to be talking about a marriage. We're going to be talking about both trying to go after the same bride."
"Nobody ever wants the vice president's job. Nobody ever turns it down," he added.
"I'm not giving up," he said on CNN.