Just in, John McCain has received the endorsement of John Hagee. Hagee is known as a rabid anti-Catholic! Isn't this a big flip-flop from 2000 when he campaigned against George W. Bush by lambasting the President for having an event at Bob Jones University? All of the media is focusing on Obama's affiliation with Trinity United Church of Christ and Louis Farrakhan. What is this now, famous bigots are now endorsing candidates. What next, Matt Hale supporting Oberweis?
I think that Obama should distance himself from both Wright and Farrakhan and that McCain should repudiate Hagee for his extremist views.
If either do nothing, I forsee the Catholic vote going Democratic and the Jewish vote going Republican.
Discusssion?
Robert Dunn
"...McCain should repudiate Hagee for his extremist views."
You're in luck, he already has:
"Well, obviously I repudiate any comments that are anti-semetic or anti-Catholic, racist, any other. And I condemn them and I condemn those words that Pastor Hagee apparently…that Pastor Hagee wrote. I will say that he said that his words were taken out of context, he defends his position. I hope that maybe you’d give him a chance to respond. He says he has never been anti-Catholic, but I repudiate the words that create that impression. I will say, I’d like to say on his behalf, he’s been a very strong supporter of the state of Israel and when we were doing the No Surrender tour, he came and spoke on behalf of not surrendering in Iraq. So, but any comments that are made that are in anyway offensive then I repudiate those for all of the obvious reasons, Bill." - John McCain a few days ago.
Here's the link to Hagee's defense of his statements and the context they were supposedly in: here. I don't know if I buy that, he seems a pretty controversial figure but McCain pretty well distanced himself from it immediately, as in the next day: "Yesterday, Pastor John Hagee endorsed my candidacy for president in San Antonio, Texas. However, in no way did I intend for his endorsement to suggest that I in turn agree with all of Pastor Hagee's views, which I obviously do not." - John McCain
Obama's problem is that he knew about this stuff for years and had discussions with Wright about maybe needing to distance himself from him if the media scrutiny got to thick. A two decades long relationship that just ended today versus a guy who got distanced from within 24 hours of endorsing a candidate. Pretty significant difference.
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Glock21 Op/Ed
Hagee is the head of a group called Christians United for Israel, which considers Israel the divinely ordained homeland of the Jews and considers U.S. policy on Israel its #1 foreign policy issue.
I understand that Hagee's endorsement of McCain stems from his belief that McCain will, as president, do the best job of defending Israel. Period. It has nothing to do with McCain's views of the Catholic Church or any other religion, it has to do with his policy on Israel.
And as you noted before, McCain went out of his way to emphasize that Hagee endorsed HIM -- not the other way around -- and that he does not have to agree with absolutely every opinion of anyone who endorses him or votes for him. So the whole thing is a non-issue in my opinion -- certainly less of an issue for many seriously observant Catholics than the hard-core pro-abortion views of both Democratic candidates would be.