What I DON'T understand is where all the animosity towards Rev. Wright comes from. The nicest thing I've seen said about him here is “Wright's shock value sprang from this willful ignorance.” As a minority, as a woman, as a lesbian his “most objectionable” views and statements struck a deep chord with me. As I watched them on the news I kept saying to myself “Yes! I DO feel that way!” and “YES! He's speaking for me!” My Domestic Partner who comes from the white upper class had just the opposite reaction of course. She wasn't sure why but it scared her half to death!

On the other hand there is John Hagee, Every time that man opens his mouth on TV he scares the bee-jingles out of me!

Not too very long ago I was reading about Germany at the end of the Weimar Republic and the beginning of the rise of the Nazi Party. I was struck by how close the stated political aims of the Nazis were to what Rev. Hagee and other televangelists in the Christian Reconstructionist Movement advocate. It's truly frightening!

As Ghostdreams said “Senator McCain has made an error and should be held accountable. I would like an explanation why he would want (and ask) for the endorsement of such a man such a Pastor Hagee.
I really don't think it's too much to ask for either.”

I just wonder now, how much of it was a mistake and how much of it was a case of like minds?

“He's much more of a sounding board for me to make sure that I am speaking as truthfully about what I believe as possible”

The quote makes my argumetn for me.
According to people who know them both, the Wright-Obama relationship was basted on a whole lot of contentious debate. DEBATE. It was never a simple minded teahcer-pupil relatonship. The only way to make sound judgments of one's own is to consult and understand ALL the facets of the patchwork of what constitutes the American experience and then forge one's own personal vision.
Forewarned is forearmed.

It is a much sounder way than making decisions from the safe distance, as long-armed as possible, of willully remaining uninformed and misinformed.
Wright's shock value sprang from this willful ignorance. , and the resulting surprise: What? Some black people are unhappy about some facets of their experience? How dare they? How dare they be diferent?

I've learned enough about Wright to know what I agree with in his ministry and what not. I see no reason whatsoever to reject the whole man because of the areas of disagreement. A major theme of his ministry is reconciliation, and it wourld be self-defeating to reject that because he is wrong about AIDS.

I haven't found anythng written about or by Hagee to make that kind of approach possible. . More to the point: what did McCain bother to be informed about so that he could take this kind of reasoned approach?
If it turns out that Hagee has also spoken about reconcilitian or any other topic helpful to finding a way forward, I'll give that due consideration.
Ir it turns out McCaim . has given Hagee's ministry the same kind of in-depth scrutiny, I'll give that due consideration.

Until then…..

Desperate, hypocritical Republicans want Catholics to ignore Hagee.

Our Dumb Media doesn't get Hagee.

George Stephanopoulos lets McCain flip-flop with impunity on Hagee.

Hannity and Colmes (and Newt Gingrich) discuss Hagee.

John Stewart is the only TV broadcaster willing to ask what McCain is doing about Hagee.

Talking Points Memo had a YouTube report in March on McCain and Hagee.

It's apparently perfectly responsible for McCain to pander.

That is the key, even if some are too incompetent or dishonest to admit it, and of course, they are even worse if they claim there is a similarity of any kind, and are even worse the closer they approach a claim of identicality (and bogus “hypocrisy” charges associated with such a false claim).

The answer is zero.”

The cheap shot against McCain was guaranteed to fail the way it always has.

And how many times did Obama ask Wright to get involved in (support) his politics.?
The answer is zero.

Huh??? So Wright's initial position as head of the religious outreach of Obama's campaign, and his initial slot to give the invocation at Obama's announcement of his candidacy are down the rabbit hole? Not to mention quotes like this from Obama:
“What I value most about Pastor Wright is not his day-to-day political advice,” Obama said. “He's much more of a sounding board for me to make sure that I am speaking as truthfully about what I believe as possible and that I'm not losing myself in some of the hype and hoopla and stress that's involved in national politics.”

I think that Hagee's positions are more odious than Wright's, but as for the relationship that each had with the respective candidates, there's no doubt that the Obama/Wright one was much more significant. I don't see how it helps Obama for anyone to try to rewrite the history- Obama did in fact benefit initially from this relationship because he needed credibility in the black community of S. Chicago- he may very well have also found positive things in the message and activity of that religious community-but in his national political career it has become necessary to distance himself from people who speak divisively about race and about Jews, as Wright does.

But given the opportunity to score cheap debating points against a moderate Republican, the Lefties are riding to the rescue of Holy Mother Church. Save your breath, boys, the Church doesn’t need your help. She’ll be a going concern long after Marx and his epigones are forgotten.

And how many times did Obama ask Wright to get involved in (support) his politics.?
The answer is zero.

And how many times did McCain approach Hagee for political reasons?
The answer is: at least once.

The double standard infuriates me, especially when I read conservative blogs making excuses. But, but, but……. I guess he's okay as long as he supports someone, anyone other than a Democrat.
Why are Jews,not outraged by Hagees plans to eventually convert them to Christianity? Is that okay as long as we bomb Iran first?

It's only fair to put Hagee in his context, like some of us tried to put Wright in his.
I would like to know what Hagee is doing to be a good citizen (help the poor, etc.) before the rapture takes place. I'm having a hard time finding anything of substance. All I read seems to be about power, with no respect or tolerance for anyone but those who think and hate like him. No 'blacks and whites together' singing, like in Obama's church. Only an eagerness for the final conflagration and the suffering of the not-saved.

Maybe he's nice to his freinds, and I don't care for blanket character assasinations.
But many of the 'legitimate' questions that were asked about Wright should be equally urgently asked about Hagee.

The answer is zero.

LL