McCain Attacked Bush in 2000 Over Anti-Catholic Endorsement

Senator John McCain is still defending his acceptance of an endorsement from megachurch pastor John Hagee -- who has called the Catholic Church "the Great Whore," and accused it of inspiring Adolf Hitler to initiate the Holocaust.

But the presumptive Republican nominee's continued intransigence is revealing a new design flaw in the Straight Talk Express. Even as McCain refuses to distance himself from Hagee's anti-Catholic comments, it turns out that during the contentious 2000 GOP primary he had himself denounced then-Governor George W. Bush for cozying up to Catholic-bashers.

It was widely reported during the run-up to the 2000 contest in Michigan that the McCain campaign delivered a "Catholic Voter Alert" in the form of robo-calls to Catholic voters. Why? Because Bush refused to denounce the anti-Catholic views of Bob Jones University after receiving its tacit endorsement. In the alert, McCain criticized the Governor and lauded his own outspoken criticism of anti-Catholic bigotry. Here's the text of the McCain campaign's phone message:

"This is a Catholic Voter Alert. Governor George Bush has campaigned against Senator John McCain by seeking the support of Southern fundamentalists who have expressed anti-Catholic views. Several weeks ago, Governor Bush spoke at Bob Jones University in South Carolina. Bob Jones has made strong anti-Catholic statements, including calling the Pope the anti-Christ, the Catholic Church a satanic cult! John McCain, a pro-life senator, has strongly criticized this anti-Catholic bigotry, while Governor Bush has stayed silent while seeking the support of Bob Jones University. Because of this, one Catholic pro-life Congressman has switched his support from Bush to McCain, and many Michigan Catholics support John McCain for president."

My, how the tables have turned. Back in 2000, straight talking John McCain earned headlines by calling the religious right "agents of intolerance." But now he's "honored" to receive the endorsement of culture warriors like Pastor Hagee.

On Thursday, a coalition of several Catholic organizations, including Catholics United, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, and NETWORK, a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, will issue a statement calling on all candidates to reject Hagee's intolerant views.

Comments

[eddiestardust]

And it's not just republicans either...

There are a lot of Liberals that hate Catholics too!

[JakeEasy]

Why is it always a surprise to everyone that the republicans and that the republican voters don't care. It is part of the basic premise of those who vote republican that the most important thing is making money and the second most important thing is making money. Religion, war, the economy? They are all just tools to use to achieve the two most important things.


Two thoughts do come from this though. One is that they don't have to worry about it because we Democrats are busy eating our own. I was at a precinct convention here in Texas last Tuesday (everyone else keeps calling them caucuses, but that is only a part of the meeting). On the caucus vote, we split almost down the middle. While I sat at the table where we were tallying the votes, the consensus at the table, which was pretty evenly divided between Barack and Hillary, was that we were happy with both of our candidates while the republicans weren't happy with any of theirs. Everything was amicable until as we tallied votes, one woman pursed her lips into a tight line and said something to the effect of "I'm not. I just hate that Hillary." I was so proud of the delegates at the table. No one rose to the bait and the Obama supporters to my right and left, both turned away from the woman shunning her negativity, and we continued with the democratic process. But elsewhere (maybe I should just stay off of HuffPo) supporters of each candidate weigh in with hate and invective toward what they seem to perceive as the enemy.


That leads to the second thought that I take from this story. The republican candidate and his supporters (which include most of the media) will lie. They will shake your hand and smile for the photograph and then do exactly the opposite of what they said. They see nothing wrong with this and they suffer no consequence from their supporters. So my thought is that Hillary isn't the enemy and Barack isn't the enemy. Yes. republicans are the enemy to what we believe the country should stand for. We can't take them at their word. I believe this is a sticking point for many in supporting Senator Obama. He seems like a good guy, but his insistence that we don't have enemies, that that is the old way of doing things, that we will embrace and cooperate and work with the republicans seems naive. I know that a lot of his supporters want to end the enmity and fighting in Washington. But the battle over the destiny of our country is going to go on. If you refuse to fight, you will lose by default. I don't want our environment and our civil rights lost by default. Give me a Democrat with the style and grit of Paul Wellstone. You stop the fighting in Washington by electing a huge majority of Democrats.

[WilliePilgrim]

Any politician in the national arena who isn't being accused with at least some reason of being hypocritcal? We've come to expect it, I guess, and when one does come down the pipe who says it like it is, we revile them for not being in complete agreement with us on absolutely everything. Ron Paul for example.I disagreed with a lot of what he said, but honestly, he was unique in being about as non-hypocritical as any politician I can recall, yet because he personally didn't like abortion, and didn't think federal dollars should be used to conduct it (just as he was against nearly all federal health programs...not just abortion) it was construed as his being in favor of denying to to people for selfish reasons. He likewise was not in favor of using drugs, but did not favor a federal program and legislation on it. So I disagreed with him but tell me, where are the current candidates on that? Speaking clearly or just out of both sides of their mouths? McCain, Clinton, Obama,...the list goes on...all of 'em with faults...the kind they themselves won't admit and so we get the candidates we deserve. I will vote but not to make me happy, just to get me past this miserable selection process while having some hope that an athiest or at least an openly agnostic candidate will somehow find themselves on the ballot. My eyes are on the prize too, though maybe not on the same one everyone elses are lookin' at.

[JamesSalt]

This past Sunday, Meet the Press anchor Tim Russert should have been all over this story since he's the one that held Obama to Farrakahn in the last debate. Why then did he give a pass to McCain on this story?

[iluvlibs]

Because Timmeh is rooting for McCain. He and others will overlook their houses being robbed by Repuckicans as long as one of their own wins. That shows right there how biased they are, Obama renounced and denounced and rejected Farrakhan by God, but McCain did not have to renounce that fat pig Hagee. Go figure.

[BigFootJesus]

If we cannot beat John McCain in the upcoming election no matter who we run then all is truly finally lost. The ads just write themselves. I am pretty sure that for every endorsement he gets from fellow Republicans there must exist an ad from the same people claiming the opposite. We need to search all available speeches and interviews and ads etc. from McCains first primary run against Bush to flood the media. All of this could be moot though if there is some kind of major incident coming that will allow the king and his minions to enact their nifty new martial law plans. Just sayin'........

[Puller58]

Politics works about the same as pro-wrestling. They role play as heels and babyfaces. Once the match is over, they go back to biz as usual. McCain will act his part and ignore the obvious hokum it entails. So will Hillary, Obama and every other politico. It's all a game and the voters are the losers.

[ZioStefano]

Couldn't agree more. These big name dems and repubs act as if they oppose each other but then laugh it up at our expense after the contests are over.

[johnpherson]

Hagee is dangerous figure, way more so than Farrakahn. His support should be poison but for some reason it isn't discussed at all. The Rapture Right are potentially a zombie army with friends in high places, friends with nukes.

[MajorKong]

If McCain was a Democrat they'd be calling him a "flip flopper" for that.
Republicans don't flip-flop, they "re-think their positions".

[rwe]

And Hillary attacked Obama and Obama attacked hillary and they will both endorse the other for the nomination..... gotta come up with simething better than this to knock McCain.....

[Rog49Thomas]

Brother Chris, you're actually shocked and outraged by hypocrisy by a politician?

A small suggestion: you really do need to get out a bit more into the real world. Read a little history.

Then if you can, name one candidate who has not done this sometime in his career.

[Spud777]

Rog49Thomas: And your point is that we should just shrug our shoulders and continue doing what we were doing before? If voters would insist on honesty, we might have a different America someday, one that cares about all Americans, not just the ultra rich and corporatists, like we have today.

[StillAmused]

John McCain is their own Karma coming back to haunt the GOP.

Bon appétit, hypocrites.

[researcher]

he sold his soul to be pres. power corrupts and lots of power really corrupts.

wash is a den of liars and thieves the nafta thing with canada even proofs obama is one of the establishment.

americans have been hookwinkled again.

heed jefferson's advice. 30 years over due.

[dotmafia]

Why pussyfoot around the matter? Just call it like it is and spit the words "hypocrite" and "liar" out.

[Proud2BIndy]

If whoever is the Democratic nominee has the courage to go straight for the jugular this time around, ole Johnny will fall like a house of cards.

If the candidates choose to pretend to take the high road, it will end up being a surrogate war with 527s doing all the really nasty work via viral marketing and TV pundit outreach. No matter what, this is going to get very interesting.

[JamesSalt]

This is complete hypocrisy. McCain should be held to the same standard on Hagee as Obama was on Farrakahn.

[research]

Obama, Hillary,

Attack McCain!

This is some good starting material.

[MizJ]

The hypocrisy of this man is breathtaking. Yet the media continues to give him a free pass each and every time he changes positions.

[StillAmused]

It's their job... issuing free passes. Look at Junior McFlightsuit.

[Colmore]

Only for republicans. The Democratic candidates have every little thing thrown in their faces. In Clinton or Obama's place, I would bring all this GARBAGE up. Hypocracy is all too common in Washington, and it is largely ignored.