The drama began last week when Daniels told the right-wing Weekly Standard that it is time for the country to put social issues aside and deal with pressing economic concerns.

Daniels has been bandied about as a possible presidential contender for the GOP nomination in 2012. He hasn't announced anything yet and may be just testing the waters. If so, he's off to a bad start with the Religious Right, a core GOP constituency.

The next president, Daniels said "would have to call a truce on the so-called social issues. We're going to just have to agree to get along for a little while."

Daniels added that the country faces a "genuine national emergency" over spending and budgetary issues and that this means "maybe these things [social issues] could be set aside for a while. But this doesn't mean anybody abandons their position at all. Everybody just stands down for a little while, while we try to save the republic."

Religious Right leaders would have none of that. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, immediately