AUBURN – Although hardly a flock that had gone astray, a small group of central Maine Republicans was reminded of the power of prayer Wednesday by Andrew Card, chief of staff for President Bush.

During an early morning campaign swing through the Lewiston area, Card struck upon the importance the president places on his religious faith as he undertakes his daily responsibilities.

Card also expressed confidence in a Maine GOP organizer under investigation by New Hampshire officials and said the recent abduction of a CARE official in Iraq reflected the level of desperation among Islamic terrorists.

Card told about 40 Republicans from the Lewiston-Auburn area that President Bush follows his “moral compass” in the course of a day’s work and draws largely upon the guidance of prayers and the U.S. Constitution.

“The great responsibility that the president has is the responsibility that came when he put his hand on the Bible and he raised a hand to God and he repeated an oath that was delivered by the chief justice of the Supreme Court,” Card said. “All the president promises to do is to preserve and protect the Constitution of the United States. That’s the responsibility that has to be met.”

In addition to the Constitution, the president deeply appreciates the prayers of fellow citizens, Card said. Regardless of differences many citizens have with Bush’s policies, philosophies or even basic issues of respect, Card said the president continues to be offered the prayers of Americans wherever he goes “more times than he can even acknowledge.”

“Inevitably someone will say, ‘I pray for you’ and that provides a lot of help and the president knows that,” said Card, who added that his wife is a minister. “That is very comforting to me.”

The issue of faith surfaced during the third presidential debate last week when the president said he was sustained by prayer and religion. He also said he would never impose his faith on someone else.

“I believe we ought to love our neighbor like we love ourself, as manifested in public policy through the faith-based initiative where we’ve unleashed the armies of compassion to help heal people who hurt,” the president said. “I believe that God wants everybody to be free. That’s what I believe.”

Sen. John F. Kerry, the president’s Democratic opponent, said he shared many of Bush’s views on the importance of religion but added he would “always respect everybody’s right to practice religion as they choose – or not to practice – because that’s part of America.”

“I went to a church school and I was taught that the two greatest commandments are: Love the Lord, your God, with all your mind, your body and your soul, and love your neighbor as yourself,” Kerry said. “And frankly, I think we have a lot more loving of our neighbor to do in this country and on this planet.”

The president’s chief of staff also said Wednesday he was aware of recent allegations against prominent GOP organizer Jim Tobin of Bangor.

According to an Associated Press report Wednesday, two Democratic senators have asked U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft to stop interfering in a civil suit over phone-jamming by New Hampshire Republicans during the 2002 elections.

U.S. Sens. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Patrick Leahy of Vermont on Tuesday wrote a letter demanding that the Justice Department, which is pursuing a separate criminal case, withdraw its request to put the civil case on hold for six months.

Lawyers for the Democratic Party were scheduled to take sworn testimony from Republican witnesses last week about a national GOP official who allegedly approved the phone-jamming operation.

At the last minute, Justice Department lawyers involved in the criminal case called and said they were going to ask for a stay. The GOP witnesses did not show up, despite a state court order requiring them to do so.

Democrats then said in a court filing they believed the witnesses were going to name James Tobin, New England chairman of President Bush’s re-election campaign, as a co-conspirator.

“The last-minute timing of the Department’s motion to intervene appears calculated to prevent the disclosure of information that might embarrass or implicate Tobin and possibly other campaign officials,” said Kennedy’s and Leahy’s letter, obtained by The Associated Press.

Tobin, who was regional director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2002, stepped down as Bush’s New England campaign chairman last week after the allegations were made public. He said he plans to fight the allegations and is confident he will win.

Card said he found Tobin to be “a very hard worker” and a man “of great integrity.”

“He’s obviously helped not only in Maine, but all of New England,” he said. “He’s a good leader, but I don’t know the specifics of the [Democrats’ allegations against him].”

Card also said Tuesday’s abduction of the head of CARE International in Iraq reflects the level of desperation terrorists are experiencing as U.S. forces continue to make advances against the insurgents.

“They are now embattled,” Card said. “They are being cut off and they are struggling. And we’re taking the struggle to them, they’re not taking the struggle to us. … The good news in Iraq is that things are much better there than we are told in the United States.”