John McCain and the Bigot

If you watched the last Clinton-Obama debate in Ohio, you will remember Tim Russert browbeating Obama about the endorsement he received from Louis Farrakhan.

Obama never sought Farrakhan's endorsement and had immediately repudiated it. That wasn't enough for Russert, and Obama had to reiterate that repudiation numerous times. Additionally, he spoke to Jewish groups and again denounced Farrakhan, Farrakhan's comments and what Farrakhan stands for.

It evidently wasn't enough, and it ain't over yet. The Internet continues to be inundated with a variety of anti-Obama mailings filled with false accusations, including the accusation that he is somehow a puppet or protege of Louis Farrakhan.

I'll say it again: Obama has repeatedly denounced Farrakhan's statements from the beginning of his campaign. Neither Obama nor his campaign people sought out Farrakhan's praise or endorsement. When questioned about his relationship with Farrakhan, Obama has forthrightly and clearly stated he rejects Farrakhan and what Farrakhan stands for.


Now, let's compare Obama to McCain. John McCain went, on his knees, a supplicant, to none other than John Hagee asking for Hagee's endorsement.

Hagee is perhaps the most rabid, vicious, hateful and un-Christian of all the right-wing fundamentalist fruitcakes.

A televangelist, he runs the 18,000-member Cornerstone Church in San Antonio. He's also a dangerous end-times nutcase with access to the White House, and has been pressing by every means possible for a war with Iran believing that will jump-start Armageddon and Jesus will come back to earth to establish his kingdom where the righteous will live in peace and everyone else will be cruelly slaughtered and sent to eternal perdition.

Here are some of the things Hagee proclaims:

* All Muslims are programmed to kill and we can thus never negotiate with any of them.

* God caused Hurricane Katrina to destroy New Orleans because the city was planning a gay pride parage the week before the hurricane and was sexually sinful.

* The Rapture (End Times) is almost here! The U.S. government must do everything possible to hasten it, which requires a preemptive strike against Iran and unconditional support for a unified Israel, including all Occupied Territories. What Hagee doesn't say too loudly is that all Jews who do not accept Christ will be slaughtered when Christ comes again.

* Harry Potter books and films are part of Satan's ongoing program of deceit and destruction. "The whole purpose of the Potter books is to desensitize readers and introduce them to the occult."

The McCain website is "proudly promoting a video of Rev. Hagee's reverent introduction of McCain, while McCain and wife Cindy stand proudly by, during the candidate's 'No Surrender Tour.'"

As part of Hagee's remarks in this "reverent introduction," he railed at those "in Congress who whine about the cost of the war." He said that we cannot pull out of Iraq because that would put "Israel ... in greater danger than ever before," noted that Allah is the Iranian god, not ours, and raved that John McCain "is the leader and the [other candidates] are followers."

McCain went up to Hagee, and "warmly shook his hand."

Where is Tim Russert now? Does Obama get pounded for remarks he rejected and renounced and McCain gets a free pass for actively seeking the endorsement of one of the most hate-filled, crazy, bigoted creeps on the Christian right?

Bill Donohue of the Catholic League is frothing at the mouth. "McCain's not going to get away with this with the Catholic community ... We're going to get this out to the Catholic community and Catholic press around the country."

Donohue despises Hagee because Hagee is a bigot, because, he says, Hagee "has waged an unrelenting war against the Catholic Church ... he likes calling it 'The Great Whore,' an 'apostate church,' the 'anti-Christ,' and a 'false cult system.'"

The Catholic League is demanding that McCain repudiate Hagee and his endorsement. Donohue believes Hagee is much worse than Farrakhan. "Hagee is a major player. There's no end to his money. He has an empire down there."

Donohue does not plan to let this go. "I'm relentless," he said. "We're not going to walk away with this."

I think Glenn Greenwald got it right when he said, "It's difficult to recall a more transparent media double standard than their intense, melodramatic amplification this week of the Obama/Farrakhan matter (even though those two have no connection whatsoever), contrasted with their virtual silence about McCain's affirmative, repeated embrace of a true extremist like John Hagee."

As I've said before, McCain's mother better watch her back.