McCain's Glass House: Hagee

At a news conference in Florida this week, John McCain couldn't resist the opportunity to bring up remarks by Jeremiah Wright, calling them "beyond belief." This, despite the fact that Bill Moyers, in an hour long interview last Friday showed the world the broader context in which the remarks were made. McCain, who seeks to position himself above dirty politics, has instead positioned himself as a hypocrite.

You might think that, given the thin glass walls of McCain's own house, he might have chosen to stay silent out of sheer self interest. It hasn't been long since McCain powdered his nose and posed for the camera with John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel CUFI. Lest we forget, Hagee is an apocalypse-loving fundamentalist whose best selling books glorify a river of blood running in the Middle East. He and his followers raise money to "return" Jews to Israel so that they can be killed all in one place and bring on the Rapture, Tribulation and Second Coming. Come, Lord Jesus!

To make matters worse, Hagee's despicable religious hunger for a bloodbath has direct political implications. He has used CUFI to throw his weight behind political organizing that will help to bring about what he sees as a biblically prophesied war in Iran -- also a part of his god's will for these End Times. Hagee tours the country rallying the fundamentalist troops in support of a US-Iran war. All this, and McCain dares to call Wright "beyond belief"?!

After McCain flew to Hagee's side for an endorsement and press conference, why didn't we hear Hagee's ugliest remarks over and over on the air? Hagee calling the Catholic church a whore, Hagee saying that Hurricane Katrina was punishment for gay pride plans, or Hagee, shouting halleluiahs at the altar of his bloodthirsty vision? It's all about who owns the media--and who clips the bites.

If someone bothered to give us the wide angle picture -- Obama with Wright, Clinton praying with her dominionist cult The Family, and McCain kissing up to Hagee -- the composite story would be about what a very bad idea it is to have our politicians buying and selling religion.

Comments

[Ztopia]

Lordy! Well, this makes me think about both big media and the machines behind each of the 3 big candidates. The context here (that the "ammunition" is more than available) gives some good perspective on how far and "where" they (the respective campaigns + mainstream media) are willing to go, and where they shy away.

The Obama campaign could have counter-struck with this information, but they didn't choose to play on that field. Probably part smart (to keep the attack from playing over and over) but I also hope in part to be respectful of people's right to believe as they choose.

[PetraFranklin]

As usual, Valerie Tarico, delivers the goods! Separation of Church and State is still out of our grasp.

Crazy violence endorsing comments from Hagee are not where we want the world to go.....I think it was Greenwald who pointed out that McCain aligned himself with one of America's most powerful -- haters, Hagee and that ought to be the story!

The hostility is the problem. Wright is not.

With the many big problems we need to solve in the world today, poverty, curable diseases, environmental distress, genocide, ...what are we doing wasting time with hostile name calling. Lets make some progress while we are here on earth!

[solazule]

mccain is a snake both getting off and getting the job done by seducing these poor godfearin people into believeing hes a god. the really scary thing is, i imagine hes liking it. it follows right in step with the rest of his own mythology and it allows him to reach these people on such a deep level. i hope as many people can see through obamas complexion and realize hes the real deal.

"where mars is venus will be. love, beauty, seduction, glamor, and pleasure, intimacy and softness shall accompany mars wherever he goes. THESE CAMP FOLLOWERS BELONG TO HIS BATTLE TRAIN. the world of war's horror and fear is also a world of desire and attraction."

james hillman
a terrible love of war

[2doggirl]

Great insight, Valerie. Thanks so much for the aritcle. In these glass houses, I think it is important to emphasize the point that Obama never sought to share the stage with Farrakhan, nor did he seek backing by Farrakhan for his candiday. McCain, on the other hand, has made calculated moves to align himself with with the bigoted and hateful Hagee, for the evangelical vote.

[IssaquahDave]

Perhaps the most worrisome of these connections is Hillary Clinton's with the right-wing prayer group on Capitol Hill. These people are not only religious zealots, but hold the keys of power.

Looking at candidates' connections with religion insofar as it may give a clue to their potential policies is legitimate. Asking them to get into their personal views of religion otherwise is not.

[KarateKid]

The lack of coverage of the despicable Reverend Hagee is all about race. Many whites who control the media don't want to face the reality of that double standard so they pile on Obama. What Hagee has said is a hundred times more hateful and divisive than what Reverend Wright has said, yet no one says peep about it. Corporate America clearly favors either McCain or Clinton.

It would be interesting if they did as thorough a study of McCain's behavior during the Keating scandal.

It's nice to see SOMEONE write about this. Thank goodness for blogs; the mainstream media is hopelessly biased.

[Keo]

The fact that Barack Obama--and Hillary Clinton, for that matter--are continuing to lead in national polls against John McCain is probably giving the Republican National Committee diarrhea.
Consider: McCain's "flip flops" on torture, taxes, Iraq. His association with Hagee. His wife's drug-dealing fortune. His failure to disclose his medical records. "Cunt." "Bomb Iran." Etc.
Most people know nothing about any of these things. McCain has been getting a free ride.
Once the presidential campaign really begins, and the TV ads begin to flow, the American will see, FOR THE FIRST TIME, that McCain is a paranoid, hypocritical, right wing asshole.
On the other hand, the American public has been learning EVERYTHING about Obama and Clinton.

What will happen in the polls once the American public finds out that McCain is just another dishonest, hateful, fear-mongering, short-sighted, rich elitist republican?

[tapns]

Thank you so much for giving coverage to issues the mainstream media has pretty much ignored. Except for Moyers' coverage there has been nothing that presented the full context of Reverend Wright's positions and virtually no one has really covered the degree to which McCain has been pandering to the destructive religious fundamentalists.

On a not so different issue, we must remember that the separation of church and state is one of the fundamentals of our constitution and it has been, in recent years, significantly eroded. This has happened more and more as religious fundamentalism, some would say fanaticism, has held greater and greater sway both in our country and around the world.

[DPecan]

McCain has acknowledged his endorsement by Hagee several times.

Obama has publicly stated that he disagrees with Wright.

Wright seems to be grandstanding and loving being in the public eye. He's got a log in his eye in addition to a huge ego.

Hagee is in the public eye, through Trinity Broadcast Network - television. His ego and log-filled eyes are on regular display. This guy is bat-s**t crazy!

It seems to be okay to endorse the end of the world but not criticize anything the US does. Unfortunately many people confuse the US military command and US military forces.

And has anyone pointed out that if McCain had run WWII we'd be half way through? Tell me who wants an endless war in the Middle East - the patriotic or the realistic?

[PaulAbrams]

Very insightful post.
McCain not only sought Hagee's endorsement, he kow-towed to Jerry Falwell who blamed 9/11 on liberals, gays, and the ACLU.

[Thorn]

That's a false and even weird parallel. McCain and Hagee aren't old friends. Hagee was never his pastor. You'll have to do better.

[HowietheScreamer]

He's a big time supporter, one who Johnny "hunnert years war" McStain refuses to "reject". It's called HYPOCRACY... I know it's a hard word for Repubics to understand... just look in the mirror for the definition.

[Thorn]

"Hypocracy" is a hard word for anyone to understand.

[Mij13]

I hope to God Obama gets the chance to take McCain on with this. I saw a clip of McCain answering an interviewer who asked him about it on his plane and he just kept cutting off the question, saying "ridiculous", or something to that affect. I couldn't imagine Obama getting away with something like that. We'd have heard about nothing else for at lease a week, or until he addressed it somehow. Aren't there any reporters with the guts of that woman on his plane?

[JustTheBasicFacts]

Actually, no. Bill Moyers did not show the world the broader context of the remarks on Friday. Jeremiah Wright spoke for himself on Monday.