I have heard no major outrage about McCain accepting the endorsement of Christian Zionist John Hagee (the guy who called the Catholic Church “The Great Whore”).
Is this the same John McCain that referred to the religious right as “agents of intolerance?” The last quote I saw from McCain on the subject was “I obviously do not” agree with “all of Pastor Hagee’s views.”
I supported McCain in his last run. I do not now. Karl Rove and John Hagee on his team, just too much for me.
Rove?!
So now every major candidate has a scandal in which they have accepted the support of unsavory characters. I don’t see what the big difference between this guy and Clinton and Obama’s most nasty supporters is.
Yup, it’s the same McCain that was sucking up to the Council for National Policy in New Orleans last week too.
Give the man a couple of months and he’ll make a perfectly acceptable social conservative of himself.
The difference is that McCain won’t get called on it because Hagee is a Christian, and a “mainstream” one at that. Let me know when Tim Russert rakes McCain over the coals for five minutes in a debate about his enthusiastic acceptance of Hagee’s endorsement.
If WRT Obama you’re referring to Louis Farrakhan, I thought Obama rejected his support.
Or denounced it. I’m not sure which.
Seriously, though, there’s one huge difference: Obama never sought out Farrakhan. McCain flew down to San Antonio to stand next to John Hagee at the press conference where Hagee announced his endorsement.
I agree that this hasn’t gotten nearly enough play in the media. I can only think of two explanations. One is that everyone is focusing on the Democrats while ignoring McCain. The other is that both Democrat candidates are holding this issue in this back pocket; it’ll work a lot better in October than in March.
McCain can not win with the neocons. He needs a coalition including the Christian Right to have any chance.
Clinton and Obama have accepted no comparable support.
Is there a difference between Hagee and the unsavory supporters that Clinton and Obama have accepted the support of? Which of the latter’s supporters have termed the single largest religion in the U.S. a “Great Whore”?
Haven’t they been generally in political alignment with the social conservative wing of the Catholic Church? You know, guys like Rick Santorum, Jeb Bush and the five most conservative Supreme Court justices? I’d group a good chunk of Catholics with the Christian Right.
If Farrakhan has gotten so much play despite the lack of a direct connection to Obama, the pass that McCain’s gotten on Hagee (and there are far more Catholics than Jews in the US) seems quite striking. Has McCain been out doing interviews at all where this might come up?
Can you provide any examples, Frank?
Who, me? Hell, no. Did you misunderstand? I can think of none.