John Hagee's McCain Endorsement Sparks Uproar

NEW UPDATE MARCH 21, 2008: According to a New York Times magazine interview this week, John McCain sought out the endorsement of Hagee:

"It's true that [John] McCain's campaign sought my endorsement."

NEW UPDATE MARCH 11, 2008: John McCain defended Pastor Hagee's comments today, saying he believe Hagee's claims that his statements were taken out of context:

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.

NEW UPDATE MARCH 6, 2008: John McCain, in response to condemnation by Nancy Pelosi yesterday, has made a stronger denunciation of Hagee's anti-Catholic statements:

"We've had a dignified campaign, and I repudiate any comments that are made, including Pastor Hagee's, if they are anti-Catholic or offensive to Catholics," McCain said.

However, McCain has still not rejected the support of Hagee himself, and has said nothing about Hagee's claims that American foreign policy towards Palestine is causing God to attack the United States with terrorists.

NEW UPDATE MARCH 3, 2008:
John Hagee has released a statement defending his comments:

Throughout my career I have been a strong critic of Christian anti-Semitism. But any fair review of my record will demonstrate that I have consistently criticized all Christians - Protestant and Catholic alike - for the sin of anti-Semitism. In fact I rarely address this topic without castigating the founder of Protestantism, Martin Luther, for the horrendous anti-Semitism he spouted towards the end of his career. It is a bitter irony that in my zeal to hold my fellow Christians accountable for our past anti-Semitism, I now find myself compared to an anti-Semite.

To call me "anti-Catholic" makes about as much sense as calling me "anti-Protestant." I am, most assuredly, neither.

Meanwhile, Catholic League president Bill Donahue has answered back:

"Did we also mischaracterize Hagee when he called my religion 'The Great Whore,' the 'apostate church,' the 'anti-Christ' and a 'false cult system'? McCain cannot ignore Hagee's lies any more than he can tolerate his bigotry. This is getting out of control."

** NEW UPDATES BELOW **

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ABC reports:

Calling Pastor John Hagee a "bigot," the conservative Catholic League is calling for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to denounce/renounce/reject his endorsement Wednesday.

With a Youtube link to prove his point, Catholic League president Bill Donohue said Hagee "has waged an unrelenting war against the Catholic Church. For example, he likes calling it 'The Great Whore,' an 'apostate church,' the 'anti-Christ,' and a 'false cult system.' ..."Senator Obama has repudiated the endorsement of Louis Farrakhan, another bigot. McCain should follow suit and retract his embrace of Hagee." ...

McCain spox Jill Hazelbaker says, "Hagee endorsed John McCain. While we welcome his support, it shouldn't be seen as a wholesale endorsement of all of Mr. Hagee's views."

Donohue's full statement is here, and Salon.com's Glenn Greenwald has a fascinating interview with him here. Watch Hagee compare Catholicism to a cult below:

The progressive group Catholics United has also written a letter to McCain asking him to "publicly distance himself" from Hagee's views.

TPM's Greg Sargent notes the lack of mainstream media coverage of Hagee compared to Farrakhan (whose support Obama has rejected):

Very much like Farrakhan, Hagee has regularly made remarks about current events and other religions that many would find alarming. But unlike Farrakhan, he has never truly faced the scrutiny of the mainstream press, and major politicians like Joe Lieberman and John McCain have freely associated with him.

In 2006, Hagee laid out his views on eschatology in a book called Jerusalem Countdown, in which he claimed that sources had told him a year earlier about world events to come -- and amazingly enough, all those predictions had come true over the past year. Next on the agenda, according to his March 2006 interview in Human Events: Israel would go to war with Iran before May 2006. And from there, Hagee eagerly anticipated an all-out world war against Iran and Russia, followed by the Second Coming.

Watch McCain explain how proud he is of Hagee's endorsement:

UPDATE: McCain refused to reject Hagee's support during a press availability today:

"Well I think it's important to note that pastor John Hagee who has supported and endorsed my candidacy supports what I stand for and believe in. When he endorses me, it does not mean that I embrace everything that he stands for and believes. And I am very proud of the Pastor John Hagee's spiritual leadership to thousands of people and I am proud of his commitment to the independence and the freedom of the state of Israel. That does not mean that I support or endorse or agree with some of the things that Pastor John Hagee might have said or positions that he may have taken on other issues. I don't have to agree with everyone who endorses my candidacy. They are supporting my candidacy. I am not endorsing some of their positions."

McCain's campaign released this statement later on Friday:

"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.

"I am hopeful that Catholics, Protestants and all people of faith who share my vision for the future of America will respond to our message of defending innocent life, traditional marriage, and compassion for the most vulnerable in our society."

But criticism of the endorsement is not letting up. The Democratic National Committee has released the following round-up of Hagee's statements:

Hagee on Hurricane Katrina "All hurricanes are acts of God because God controls the heavens. 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." [NPR Fresh Air, 9/18/06]

Hagee on Islamic Beliefs
Fresh Air host Terry Gross asked if Hagee believed that "all Muslims have a mandate to kill Christians and Jews," to which Hagee replied, "Well, the Quran teaches that. Yes, it teaches that very clearly." [NPR Fresh Air, 9/18/06]

Hagee on African-Americans
The San Antonio Express-News reported that Hagee was going to "meet with black religious leaders privately at an unspecified future date to discuss comments he made in his newsletter about a 'slave sale,' an East Side minister said Wednesday." The Express-News reported:

"Hagee, pastor of the 16,000-member Cornerstone Church, last week had announced a 'slave sale' to raise funds for high school seniors in his church bulletin, 'The Cluster.'

"The item was introduced with the sentence 'Slavery in America is returning to Cornerstone" and ended with "Make plans to come and go home with a slave." [San Antonio Express-News 3/7/96]

Hagee on Catholicism
"Most readers will be shocked by the clear record of history linking Adolf Hitler and the Roman Catholic Church in a conspiracy to exterminate the Jews." [Jerusalem Countdown by John Hagee]

Hagee on Women
"Do you know the difference between a woman with PMS and a snarling Doberman pinscher? The answer is lipstick. Do you know the difference between a terrorist and a woman with PMS? You can negotiate with a terrorist." [God's Profits: Faith, Fraud and the Republican Crusade for Values Voters, Sarah Posner]

"[T]he feminist movement today is throwing off authority in rebellion against God's pattern for the family." ["Bible Positions on Political Issues," John Hagee]

Hagee on LGBT Americans
"The newspaper carried the story in our local area that was not carried nationally that there was to be a homosexual parade there on the Monday that the Katrina came. And the promise of that parade was that it was going to reach a level of sexuality never demonstrated before in any of the other Gay Pride parades. So I believe that the judgment of God is a very real thing. I know that there are people who demur from that, but I believe that the Bible teaches that when you violate the law of God, that God brings punishment sometimes before the day of judgment." [NPR Fresh Air, 9/18/06]

Hagee on Iran
"The coming nuclear showdown with Iran is a certainty," Hagee wrote [in 2006] in the Pentecostal magazine Charisma. "Israel and America must confront Iran's nuclear ability and willingness to destroy Israel with nuclear weapons. For Israel to wait is to risk committing national suicide." [The Nation, 8/8/2006]

Comments

[Silpat]

I don't see anything wrong or questionable about John Hagee's religious beliefs. I think it is a stretch for people to think slavery is exclusive to African-Americans because world history tells us otherwise, and as for Hagee's feminist jokes, they were harmlessly funny albeit inappropriate as well. With that said, I don't see why Hagee or McCain should have to apologize.

[richsmith]

I doubt the Hagee man would apologize for anything, being your classic bigoted, right wing christian ideologue, and McCain need not apologize for anything, seeing how he's degenerated through political ambition into a pandering toady.

And why are you compelled, silpat, to play apologist for either of them?

[roald]

I have to disagree. It is wrong to make light of slavery. That it was and is not limited to Africans is meaningless. As you noted, the feminist jokes are not appropriate under those circumstances. You failed to comment on any of the other, more scurrilous statements.

[ptarantino]

Hagee is everything that is wrong with political religous con-artists. The guy scares his congregation into thinking that Israel is justified in killing arabs.

The guy should be behind bars for the terrorism that he preaches.

[Egghead]

Wow. Who knew I'd *ever* agree with the Catholic League on anything? Just goes to show antipapistry isn't dead.

I specialize in Ren Lit, so I'm always aware of the extent to which rabid Protestantism has loathed Catholicism. That has not changed! Every time I hear a pro-life Catholic turn his or her back on the support of the working class and anti-death penalty, *only* to vote on the abortion issue, I want to scream "No no no! Don't you know your own history? Don't get into bed with fundie Protestants! They hate you! They think the Pope is Antichrist!"

I should point out: most mainline Protestants have nothing to do with this philosophy, just as the Catholic League doesn't represent most Catholics and the most Zionist organizations don't represent most Jews.

[plutorage]

Do you really want a President, McCain, who takes longer than 2 seconds to disassociate himself from a nut who calls the Catholic church "the great whore"?


Yo, McCain supporters, are you nuts??

[wolf58]

Question, Does McCain wear knee pads? He seems to do anyone who will endorse him no matter what thier views are.

[ClaudiaJean]

Hagee and Donohue deserve each other's company; no one else should suffer. McCain should absolutely renounce Hagee... and at the same time renounce Donohue as an agent of intolerance, propaganda and hatred. Distance himself from both and let the two vile lifeforms duke it out with each other... chances are, when both of them get where they're destined to go after this time on earth is done, they might be bowling partners in FiresOfHell Lanes.

[Tom95134]

It's obvious that John McCain will say our do anything to get his chance to become President.

McCain must be on his 4th or 5th set of kneepads by now with all the "sucking" up he has been doing. HE has been a looser every since he fell on his knees to George W. Bush during the 2004 campaign even though it was clear that the Bush machine was responsible for the black baby slime job they gave McCain in 2000.

HEY JOHN, YOU'VE GOT FOAM ON YOUR LIPS!!!

[riverhouse]

John McCain is a hypocritical piece of junk. This, however, is the man who will handily defeat Hillary Clinton in a general election. They belong to the same prayer club in the Senate. We've been in a trash can of a government under GWB for too long. If we don't escape Clinton or McCain in this next election, this country is doomed.

[alfrede]

Hi,

Mr Hagee and his ilk are those who are now "running" the Republican Party.

The moderate and liberal Republicans have been pushed aside now for a number of years.

Is there a good chance that the Democratic Party candidate can convince moderate and liberal Republicans to vote Democratic??

What do U think??

[Tom95134]

Isn't religion wonderful. It truely is, "The opiate of the masses."

[echeola]

fookin nut jobs all of em? anti-christ and great whores!!! what is up?

[research]

"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"

Jesus is anti-abortion but

Pro-Choice.

[Readbetweentheelevens]

To call me "anti-Catholic" makes about as much sense as calling me "anti-Protestant." I am, most assuredly, neither.

"Some of my best friends are Catholics and Protestants."

[Davwbaird]

Well, in the news this story is going nowhere and are we surprised, not? No its just more of the rabid polariaztion crap and like all of it that was, is and is to come, it stinks. So my friends, I am no longer tolerate. I believe with my heart we have no choice but to round up these dangerous, deluded fools and lock them up as enemy combatants.

[JerryJef]

No way on this earth do I want McCain to reject, renounce, or denounce Hagee's endorsement. I want McCain to remain steadfast in the pride and gratitude he claims for it. Then I want the Democrats to hang Hagee around McCain's neck like an aircraft carrier's anchor.

The Catholic Church, once a bastion of humanitarian Democratic support, is going Republican. It is driven by the demands of the current Bishops who hold abortion and gays as the paramount, the supreme, the exclusive, the only issues upon which Catholics should decide their votes. The Catholic Bishops, led by the modern day Torquemada, Raymond Burke, Archbishop of St. Louis, holds the Democratic Party a nest of sinners.

I would like to see an onslought of advertising, an unrelenting campaign to tie Catholic hating Hagee to McCain all across the country, but especially in Texas, Louisiana, and Missouri. Most especially, Missouri. All three have large Catholic populations. Louisiana has been trending Republican, but with some determined effort could be held in the Democratic column. While it is unlikely, Texas could be put into play this year. There are many indications that Texas is finally tired of the Delays and the Bushes for a while.

But the important one is Missouri, which I regard as the most critical state in this year's election. Missouri Catholics are mostly old-school, devout, German Catholics. It is they who have elected the Danforth's, Ashcroft's, Bond's, and the Blunt's. To hit them repeatedly and often with the hatred of Hagee (and those like him) will make it difficult for Burke to hold them in line for the GOP, which he will surely attempt to do. But the laity may feel a greater urgency to defend their Church against the bigoted hatred of Hagee than to support the agenda of the Archbishop. I'd count it.

Hang in there, John! And hold Hagee as close as you possibly can. Take him on the campaign trail with you, PLEASE!

[Egghead]

I couldn't agree with you more, only you've said it much more comprehensively than I could.

[GeoLee]

Thank you for a wonderful humor in your response. I think I will quit while I am laughing and go to bed.