Michelle Goldberg in The Guardian (with video):
In 2005, the Kenyan preacher Thomas Muthee stood on the stage of Alaska’s Wasilla Assembly of God and called on Christians to take over the world’s economic system. “The Bible says that the wealth of the wicked is stored up for the righteous. It’s high time that we have top Christian businessmen, businesswomen, bankers, you know, who are men and women of integrity running the economics of our nations,” he said, his remarks captured in recently unearthed video footage. Then he continued: “If you look at the – you know – if you look at the Israelites, that’s how they work. And that’s how they are, even today.”
It’s seems pretty clear that Muthee was alluding to Jewish control over global finance. But if Sarah Palin objected, she certainly didn’t show it when, a few minutes later, she joined him on stage. There, as she bowed her head and turned her palms toward heaven, Muthee laid hands on her and beseeched God to pump money into her gubernatorial campaign coffers. “Bring finances her way, even for the campaign, in the name of Jesus,” he prayed. Earlier this year, speaking at the church, Palin gave Muthee part of the credit for her victory. “He said, ‘Lord, make a way, and let her do this next step,’ and that’s exactly what happened. Again, very, very powerful coming from this church, so that was awesome,” she said.
We’ve seen, in this surreal campaign season, a surfeit of problematic preachers, raising questions of how much responsibility politicians have for their religious consorts. Barack Obama continues to be excoriated for his long association with the Rev Jeremiah Wright, whose connections to Louis Farrakhan are being used to frighten some Jewish voters. Yet Obama never had any direct relationship with Farrakhan, nor did he ever join Wright onstage during one of his inflammatory sermons. There is nothing in Obama’s history to suggest any tolerance for, let alone comfort with, anti-Semitism. It is not clear that the same could be said for Palin.
Emphasis mine.