Political Punch

Even Christians are embarrassed by Pastor Hagee because of his money scandal. For info, google search "PETITION FOR PASTOR HAGEE TO REPENT" He is taking out over $1 million annually from his TV and church ministries for personal gain; as documented in public tax returns.

It's "rum, Romanism and rebellion" all over again. McCain blew it by cozying up to the most extreme evangelical preachers in the country.

Now he's going to find out how much it'll cost him to drop his once gutsy stand against these religious bullies on the far right. Hagee's willingness to stick by the old war cry of the Reformation era makes me wonder if McCain will ever figure out who's whoring whom by Election Day?

So far the biggest heroes in this debacle seem to be Catholic League's Bill Donahue and Salon.com's Gleen Greenwald (who interviewed Donahue on this matter.)

COME ON PEOPLE! Since when does disagreeing with a religion or believing it is dangerous in some way make you a bigot? What ever happened to freedom of speech in this country. You don't have to agree with it! Our freedom to speak out against religious ideas or any ideology be it religious or political is a foundational right of all of us. It is what protects us from dangerous ideologies, and causes people to refine their ideas. Disagreeing with someone's ideology and saying it is not bigotry, it's America!

No evangelical really thinks that McCain has any kind of theological prowess to know the difference between a heretic and a big church pastor. Cut him some slack.

I am more disappointed that Huckabee is disappointed. He should know that Hagee has made claims that Jesus is not the Messiah of the Jews.

However, there is a large difference between being endorsed and endorsing. Barack Obama has chosen his pastor and that is the difference.

It isn't simply Hagee saying something "nice" about Sen. McCain. The problem is that Sen. McCain also said something nice about Hagee. Sen. McCain called John Hagee "the staunchest leader of our Christian evangelical movement." This begs the question: does Sen. McCain also hold the same bigoted view that Hagee holds or will he pubically repudiate Hagee's version of bigoted "leadership?"

Dave

The REASON Hagee endorsed McCain is because he figures McCain will start a war with Iran. That's what Hagee wants, more than anything. It's his claim that if we're violent enough, Jesus will come back and take the most violent cretins to Heaven. Hagee is truly a dangerous lunatic.

Tom J, I think you're wrong. Farrakhan saying something nice about Obama means that Obama is now a member of the Nation of Islam--whether he likes it or not. If someone says something nice about you, there's nothing you can do. You sort of BECOME that person. That's the way life works in America. At least when there are lunatic Republicans involved...

Military service does not make one immune from criticism on every issue, only the issue of military service. McCain does not get a pass. His plans for Iraq and the economy are the same old garbage. His acceptance if not embrace of the wingnut right is not a little sad, and certainly makes one question what else he will compromise on, and what happened to the straight talk express...

What a bunch of Idiots (Hagee's nuts)

The Catholic Church was founded by Christ Himself. Simon-Peter as His Vicar
and all the popes are the sucessors to Peter. For those of you who don't know, John Hagee's hope to bring on the end of the world just shows what a NUT he is.
Who would want(Hagee's)support? I'm voting for John - because he is the lesser of three evils

McCain called Pat Robertson an agent of intolerence. He is not loved by the far right.

McCain wouldn't know Hagee's views in a million years.

Obama's mentor and retired pastor meanwhile is someone who promotes farakkhan and disses jews. But Obama isn't made to denounce him.

Enough of the McCain smearing already.

McCain can't even lift his arms to comb his hair from the torture he went through. His son just came back from Iraq. And all the left loves to do is smear McCain.

McCain never voted for torture. Read the bill. The left smeared him.

McCain never said he wanted a 100 year war in Iraq. He only said after the war and it was a peaceful situation could we help the iraqis long term.

I am so sick and tired of the juvenile lefties smearing McCain.

Mr. Hagee argues that "the United States must join Israel in a preemptive, biblically prophesized military strike against Iran that will lead to the second coming of Christ".

McCain sings "bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran".

I'm surprised no one's posted a video yet.

Thank you for your fairness in covering this, Mr. Tapper. If Sen. Obama is required to denounce and reject every extremist African American religious figure who says kind words about him, then Senator McCain should be held to the same standard regarding any extremist religious figure who endorses him (regardless of color or creed).

McCain cannot really denounce and reject. He has attended Hagee rallies in the past and actively sought the endorsement. Hagee believes in using the American Military to aide in the end of the world so the rapture can happen. I don't even like the Dems but I hope somebody hammers McCain for this. Of course Hagee is also looked upon favorably by the Israeli lobby so I don't know how much the press will stay on this, notice the midday friday release. I really wish we could put this Hagee guy back into obscurity where he belongs because he feeds off the ignorant.

I'd encourage anyone who reads Political Punch to look up some of Mr. Hagee's accomplishments and his record. It's easy - although none of it is covered in this article. Something else you may want to check out, regardless of who you support, is Media Matters today. They cover the issue quite extensively.

Jake, Thanks for another nice piece on John McCain.

"One seemingly consistent theme running throughout Barack Obama’s career is his comfort with aligning himself with people who are anti-Israel advocates. This ease around Israel animus has taken various forms. As Obama has continued his political ascent, he has moved up the prestige scale in terms of his associates. Early on in his career he chose a church headed by a former Black Muslim who is a harsh anti-Israel advocate and who may be seen as tinged with anti-Semitism. This church is a member of a denomination whose governing body has taken a series of anti-Israel actions. As his political fortunes and ambition climbed, he found support from George Soros, multibillionaire promoter of groups that have been consistently harsh and biased critics of the American-Israel relationship. There are literally hundreds of churches on the South Side of Chicago that Obama could have chosen from. He selected one that was headed by Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Junior. The anti-Israel rants of this minister have been well chronicled. Among the gems: The Israelis have illegally occupied Palestinian territories for almost 40 years now. It took a divestment campaign to wake the business community up concerning the South Africa issue. Divestment has now hit the table again as a strategy to wake the business community up and to wake Americans up concerning the injustice and the racism under which the Palestinians have lived because of Zionism "

Donohue is a perpetual Victim.

Kinda reminds me of a certain politician from NY running for President.

"While we welcome his support, it shouldn’t be seen as a wholesale endorsement of all of Mr. Hagee’s views."

Has Tim Russert gotten the news yet?

I'm sure he'll be delighted to know that it will be unnecessary to follow up.

Hey Joe, Your gal Hillary is losing right now. Saddle up and get on the Obama train cause it's moving towards McCain!

Yet another in a seemingly endless series of reasons NOT to vote for John McCain this fall. YUCK!!!

Fellow Democrats! If we want to defeat MaCain, we must first defeat Obama.

This "big" news doesn't have anything to do with black or Obama/or his church, sorry to break it. You all have forgotten Mike Huckabee, Mr. Baptist Preacher, that America couldn't get past, should have gotten this endorsement. This should be more of a GOP issue. But we haven't been able to get fairness with two candidates nor a debate.....get over Obamatising yourself. The media doesn't want to report Huckabee, he's not corrupt enough for media attention.

Uh, ROB and Matthew, I think you both missed my sarcasm.

Daniel:

The reason Obama was called out on Farrakhan's support is that Farrakhan has attacked whites.

That's the REAL reason Tim Russert and others are so up in arms. Not saying Farrakhan is right, but even Bill Clinton has been supported by him and has attended his events.

And people like "Bo234" want to believe so badly Obama agrees with Farrakhan's anti-white and anti-jew hate speech they'll embarrass themselves coming on a blog and repeating a line of thought only a 4th grader could deduce.

Everything this man said about the catholic church is true and is the truth. It is undeniable and any human being with access to historical information can confirm this for themselves. These are facts.

I can remember feeling the feeling that a great evil was in our midst when john paul came to Toronto in the 80's. They oray to statues not God

This is a prime example of how mainstream America looks at black folks. Somehow black folks are part of a monolith and all of us think, act, and behave the same, unlike the diversness of white Americans. This has long been a bias in this country.

As if all white folks agree with Bush...

DENOUNCE AND REJECT - DENOUNCE AND REJECT - DENOUNCE AND REJECT -

McCain better wise up, or he'll lose the Catholic vote to Hillary. The right keep saying she's "vetted" and "moderate"....LOL!!!! Just like he is a conservative-liberal republican - his words, not mine!

This is good. Churches should be calling each other out if there is any hope of getting to the truth.

What is different about Hagee that McCain needs to address is that Hagee mandates through his bible reasoning that the interest of Israel trumps the interest of the U.S. Hagee puts Israel before the U.S. This is what McCain endorses.

Corruption does not need to run this county any longer. These situations are irrelevant to how you vote. If a person votes for a candidate because Oprah,Bush,Boston,or any Hagee endorses the candidate, wrong vote. Voting for the best man for the job, not his money mongers. More publisity that is useless.

There is no difference between Farrakahn's "Judaism is a gutter religion" and Hagee calling the Catholic Church the "Great Whore."

Obama rejected and denounced Farrakahn, while Mcain embraced and accepted Hagee's support and endorsement.

There is a resounding difference in the character between Obama and Mcain.

"After all, Tim Russert will tell you that even though Barack Obama never welcomed Louis Farrakhan support, the simple fact that Farrakhan said something nice about Omaba implies Obama's wholesale endorsement of Farrakhan's view."

You must have failed deductive reasoning.

Let's not compare Mr. Farrakhan to Mr. Hagee.. Farrakhan is undeniably an anti-semite bigot. Mr. Hagee while he respects Catholics, disagrees with their theology.

Having a disagreement on theology is different than hating someone just because they were born in a specific race system.

Donahue is simply whining here..

spock, try to stick to reality. Obama never went to Africa with Farrakhan. Can you not keep stories straight if they have more than two characters in them?

First of all did we give McCain enough time to respond, I mean it took Obama over a year to respond to Farrakun, oh thats right Obama took a trip with Farrakhun to Africa. Obama was forced to respond by Hilary.

Obama is anti-semetic, anti-white, anti-christian, remember his book, onlu under Islamis rule!! So when is Obama going to denounce himself?

I think this was a bad move by McCain to get the endorsement of a divisive figure such as Hagee, but this is just normal (extreme) fundamentalism vs Catholicism. What has Hagee done against Catholics except preach against the Catholic system? Nothing much if anything.

McCain should not have put himself in this position. He should not go out and earn endorsements from religious leaders of whom he doesn't agree with without explicitly stating what he agrees with. He needs to engage strictly with the congregates on achievable, pragmatic political issues in a personal way which doesn't make him look like a fake or flake.

"My friends" Let this be a lesson to all Americans. "My friends" never board a bus with the name "Straight Talk Express", you might be thrown under the wheels some day. "My friends" double talk and double standards are the order of the day on the "Straight Talk Express.

Obama was clear he denounced/rejected Farrakhan's anti-Semitic remarks.

McCain is NOT clear on just which views of Hagee he does or doesn't endorse, although he says he's "proud" of the endorsement. Say what?

Once again the Straight Talk Express has lost its wheels, run off the rails, lost the map (insert analogy of choice).

"While we welcome his support, it shouldn’t be seen as a wholesale endorsement of all of Mr. Hagee’s views." Why shouldn't it? After all, Tim Russert will tell you that even though Barack Obama never welcomed Louis Farrakhan support, the simple fact that Farrakhan said something nice about Omaba implies Obama's wholesale endorsement of Farrakhan's view.