McCain's Pastor -- is McCain a secret radical, or is this just guilt by association?

[bascule]

I have mixed feelings about the John Hagee situation, but I think more questions need to be asked. For those who haven't heard, he's McCain's pastor, has been drawing controversy after some of his more insensitive (but apparently quite common) remarks became public. Here are some examples:

 

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/02/28/hagee/index.html

 

All Muslims are programmed to kill and we can thus never negotiate with any of them.

 

Source here

 

God caused Hurricane Katrina to wipe out New Orleans because it had a gay pride parade the week before and was filled with sexual sin

 

Hagee also said that I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God, and they were recipients of the judgment of God for that. and that I believe that the Hurricane Katrina was, in fact, the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans.

 

The End Times -- Rapture -- is imminent and the U.S. Government must do what it can to hasten it, which at minimum requires: (a) a war with Iran and (b) undying, absolute support for a unified Israel, including all Occupied Territories

 

Anyway, to summarize, I think it's reasonable for people to ask questions about this, and I'd like to know more about the influence this man had on McCain over the years. How close were they? Has McCain ever echoed his sentiments? If he has, will that adversely affect his ability to lead this country?

 

What do you all think?

[D H]

Bzzzt, wrong. The association between the two: John Hagee endorsed McCain. McCain accepted that endorsement. Hagee is not McCain's pastor. Hagee is an evangelical from San Antonio, McCain is an Episcopalian from Arizona. Quite a bit different from the Obama-Wright connection.

[PhDP]

McCain had a lot of troubles with the Christian right not so long ago, he tried to make peace with them and this is what he gets. We should just all agree that, in the religiosphere, outrageous sermons are made by 'white' Christians, 'black' Christians, Muslims, Jews, et cetera...

 

These so called "connections" are non-issues, let's talk about foreign policies, social issues & economy for a change. It seems quite obvious to me that Obama is not a racist, and McCain has little to do with the christian right.

[ParanoiA]

Obama has to answer for wright. Just like if he was a member of the black panthers or the kkk. When you have a 20 year relationship with a nutcase, (a religious relationship no less, that most on this board have harshly criticized in the past, some even equating to "dillusional") that spreads bullshit and lies and feeds the self destructive bitterness prevalent in the black culture - then yeah, I want to know how the dude thinks.

 

McCain has no such relationship with Hagee, by any stretch of the imagination. But, he should still make a statement condemning Hagee's remarks. If he's being endorsed by him, then why shouldn't he do that? Hagee's words are reprehensible, bullshit lies, just like Wright's.

[Pangloss]

Well I think Obama did answer for Wright, and I'm disappointed that it's still in the public, national discourse, but I guess I have to accept that other people feel differently. A number of my conservative friends have expressed similar sentiments even as my liberal friends are completely outraged by it.

 

This is just spin, though. Rev. Wright baptized Obama's children and married the man to his wife. McCain has met this guy a couple of times? Come on. This is like when McCain was roasted over the woman who asked him how they were going to "beat the b*tch". THIS is guilt by association.

[iNow]

I see Bascule's post as pure parody, trying to illuminate how silly we all are for caring about such things... but, I could very well be mistaken.

[ParanoiA]

I see Bascule's post as pure parody, trying to illuminate how silly we all are for caring about such things... but, I could very well be mistaken.

 

Oh no, I think you're right on. He does that alot. Cracks me up too.

 

Well I think Obama did answer for Wright, and I'm disappointed that it's still in the public, national discourse, but I guess I have to accept that other people feel differently. A number of my conservative friends have expressed similar sentiments even as my liberal friends are completely outraged by it.

 

Yeah I agree - I hope my post didn't seem like I'm still waiting for him to answer for Wright as I'm pretty happy with his answer.

[Pangloss]

I see Bascule's post as pure parody, trying to illuminate how silly we all are for caring about such things... but, I could very well be mistaken.

 

Oh of course, he's picking on me a bit, copying my subject line and first-post text and replacing "Obama" with "McCain" (in case anybody missed that). I always get a chuckle out of bascule's barbs.

 

But it's an excellent reflection of how real spin is actually produced. That's how partisanship works -- isolate and marginalize. Of course here the argument fails because of the invalid comparison logic, but of course that would never stop a Rush Limbaugh or Al Franken from using it -- they live and breathe that stuff. Look around some of the liberal blogs and you'll see this very comparison being used and considered valid, just as conservative blogs are still ranting about Wright and Obama's "refusal to distance himself", blah blah blah.

 

I'm glad we don't fall for that sort of thing here!