Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
I'm sure you know by now that John McCain has officially denounced and rejected the endorsements of religious right whacko ministers John Hagee and Rod Parsley.
"I believe there is no place for that kind of dialogue in America, and I believe that even though he endorsed me, and I didn't endorse him, the fact is that I repudiate such talk, and I reject his endorsement," McCain told the AP.
That's an improvement over "I reject any statement that might be seen as anti-anything." Hagee's reaction is priceless:
Hagee said critics are "grossly misrepresenting my position on issues most near and dear to my heart.""I am tired of these baseless attacks and fear that they have become a distraction in what should be a national debate about important issues," Hagee said. "I have therefore decided to withdraw my endorsement of Senator McCain for president effective today, and to remove myself from any active role in the 2008 campaign."
Yep, he says one batshit crazy thing after another but it's all the fault of his critics. Amusing.
Comments
I notice how conviently everybody on McCain's side seems to forget how McCain activley sought Hagee's endorsment just a few weeks ago. Is his staff reall so incompetent that they wouldn't notice Hagee's stand re. the Catholic Church? There were (and still are) YouTube clips galore showing how nutty this preacher really is, yet his positions come as a 'surprise' to a man who is running for the presidency?
Posted by: Blaidd Drwg | May 25, 2008 10:05 AM
And while McCain makes this weak attempt to appeal to sane people, he's seriously pissing off the wackos in the GOP base.
I check out Hagee's TV broadcasts every so often for the entertainment value (yes, I must be a masochist) and the good reverend has an unfortunate tendency to load up his sermons with jokes about infidelity and the joys of divorce. ("How did your wife take the news that you're leaving her?" "I'm not sure, but I didn't know she could do cartwheels and cheer at the same time.") Then there's the lovely story about how Hagee shot his brother. Nice guy.
Posted by: Zeno | May 25, 2008 10:13 AM
"No place?" None at all? Whatever happened to our First Amendment rights, Mr. McCain?
Posted by: Elf M. Sternberg | May 25, 2008 10:42 AM
Is his staff reall so incompetent that they wouldn't notice Hagee's stand re. the Catholic Church?
They actually might not have known. And even if they "knew" about it they probably never thought it would end up being a big deal. Republican candidates go to Bob Jones University to speak all the time and it barely ever registers a blip. Republican Roman Catholics generally "know the score" - they ally with people who hate their religion for a common end. It's okay because, well, Republican Catholics tend to consider other religions as "false religions" anyway, so it's a case of "mutal using". If this were just an internal Republican problem it wouldn't be an issue at all - Republican Catholics and Republican Fundamentalists have made their respective deals with their respective Devils. They don't have to respect each other, they just have to work together.
What happened here is that Obama had a "pastor eruption" that the right-wing punditocracy and trash-talkers were having a field day over. It made it far, far too easy for McCain's own pastor problems to come to the fore when the topic of discussion could become a comparison between how the two candidates are dealing with the same problem. Also, not to give undeserved credit to the left-wing trash talkers, but I think the media environment has changed a little bit and blatant hypocrisy on the part of the press (like, highlighting Obama's pastor issue while ignoring McCain's) isn't flying as well as it did in the previous two elections. I think that's attributable to the "attack the media" stance that the left-wing trash talkers have adopted (which they got from the right-wing trash talkers and which has worked well for them for the last couple of decades).
Posted by: NonyNony | May 25, 2008 10:43 AM
His staff absolutely knew. At the very least, McCain's speechwriter knew.
This statement is too well calculated to be a coincidence. "Even though he endorsed me, and I didn't endorse him"? What crazy-talk is this?
Posted by: FishyFred | May 25, 2008 12:38 PM
Indeed. That was also part of my reaction when I read the news:
In retrospect, I wonder if I should have said "money and voting sheep" instead of "votes"?
Posted by: blf | May 25, 2008 12:39 PM
All this must have come as a bit of a shock to Hagee. He's been running his own fiefdom down in San Antonio for decades where his words are seen as nothing less than a proxy for God's words. Watching him chastise and berate his cowed congregation on a weekly basis is quite a sight, and I am sure it must have been a long, long time since he's been as challenged and rebuffed as he has been in the past couple of weeks.
And we should be skeptical about where the issue of Hagee and Parsley has really be put aside for good. While Obama's Wright problem is in the past (Wright is retired and has no political power base to offer) McCain will not be able to ignore the likes of Hagee and Parsley should he be elected. No matter how nutty their beliefs, they represent an important constituency in the Republican party (including the whole of the Texas GOP, for example). That's what makes them dangerous, and that's why even people should think twice about voting for even a reluctant fundie-ally, McCain.
Posted by: tacitus | May 25, 2008 1:10 PM
McCain seeks out crazy endorsment.
McCain gets crazy endorsment.
It bites him in the ass.
First he sticks to his crazy bff, then he dumps him.
That makes him nothing other than a two faced man whore.
I find it very difficult to believe that McCain and his staff didn't know what Hagee was like. His brand of "Death to everybody who doesn't love Israel and death to the Jews too" rhetoric is the only thing he's famous for. If not for that, why would they want his endorsment anyway?
Posted by: tincture | May 25, 2008 1:54 PM
"Whatever happened to our First Amendment rights, Mr. McCain."
Good grief, don't be so dramatic. McCain was just saying that he disagreed with Hagee's comments.
Posted by: daniel rotter | May 25, 2008 3:41 PM
John McCain is shit. He has always been and will always be. He is a political opportunist whose "reaching across the aisle" is always a calculated move to get something he wants now or to get something he can use to wring concessions from the GOP leadership. His somersaulting stances on torture and campaign finance are only the latest example of that kind of crap.
The fringeidiots, people who wouldn't piss on McCain if he was on fire a few months back, are now singing his praises. What should we expect of people who still think that we HAD to invade Iraq because Saddam wouldn't allow inspections. Fucking morons.
Posted by: democommie | May 25, 2008 3:47 PM
What I love is that they spend all this time scathing Obama over Rev. Wright, and McCain thinks he can get out of this mess by simply saying they weren't his personal pastor. This may be true, but McCain directly referred to Parsley as a great spiritual guide of our time, which I say is even more indicative of his views. Have you seen some of the shit Parsley spews? Look who I'm talking to, I'm sure you've all seen the same clips I have by now. And if you haven't, have fun!
Posted by: paul | May 25, 2008 5:33 PM
I have watched a couple of Hagee's broadcasts with utter amazment. Hagee has a special gift for making crazy statements. I must admit that I enjoy seeing him been chastised. If there was ever a guy who needs to eat some humble pie it is John Hagee.
Posted by: Cheddar | May 25, 2008 6:50 PM
Hagee said critics are "grossly misrepresenting my position on issues most near and dear to my heart."
Yeah right he said God sent Hitler for a good purpose and then he quoted God like he hears what God says all the time. Hagee goes around quoting God like Hagee thinks Hagee is a "scripture" or something.
He's as big a wacko as the people in the scriptures who quote God like they think they hear what God says all the time.
"Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity."
Yeah, you tell em Ezekiel. You tell em what God says to you. Cuckoo bird!
Posted by: 386sx | May 25, 2008 7:17 PM
By the way Hagee is a Fox News "analyst". Or at least he was at one point. I dunno if he still is.
Posted by: 386sx | May 25, 2008 7:27 PM
I watched Hagee withdrawing his endorsement and what struck me was this thought - Who is this guy? Why is this guy even getting any fucking coverage? -
When I was younger we just laughed at people like this, no one really took them seriously except their fundamentalist flocks. It amazes me how much lip service the Jesus freaks get. And I do believe it's mostly lip service, I don't think people like McCain or George Bush actually buy into most of this shit. They kiss up to them because they are reliable allies in whipping up the masses. Hence we have crap like MIke Huckabee pretending to take a cell phone call from God who asks him to "defend marriage".
Posted by: John | May 25, 2008 9:14 PM