Is McCain going to reject and denounce this nut-job?

Tim Russert and Hillary Clinton demanded that Sen. Obama denounce and reject and whatever other words they could dream up, Minister Farrakhan, a guy whose support Obama had never sought. Obama has consistently condemend Farrakhan's anti-jewish statements and all anti-semitism in any form.

But the right wing flying monkeys have tried to use this silliness to drive a wedge between Obama and the Jewish community by suggesting that he's somehow anti-semitic.

It's nonsense of course, and only the beginning of such mindless attacks.

Pastor John Hagee is a big shot evangelist with a big following and some decidedly ugly and rather dangerous ideas.

In addition to referring to the Catholic Church as "The Great Whore", Hagee wants WWIII so bad he can almost taste it. He is practically demanding we provoke an all out nuclear war against Muslims that will bring about the "rapture", so he and all his mindless followers can finally get to Planet Hale-Bopp or heaven or wherever they think they're going.

This guy actually thinks we need to support and defend Israel at all costs. Why? Because they're needed for the biblical prophesy for the end of the world to come to pass. Of course, they believe that all Jews will go straight to hell after the rapture, but hey... why split hairs.



NOTE: If you REALLY want to get angry, freaked-out, and amazed, watch the entire story from Moyer's Journal. Someone's posted it on YouTube in 5 parts. Here's the first segment, the rest can be seen in the sidebar to the right. I watched it when it first aired and was stunned.

It so happens that Pastor Hagee just gave a ringing endorsement of John McCain, which McCain welcomed warmly and said he was proud to have it.

Watch this video of Pastor Hagee enthusiastically endorsing McCain and blowviating about nuclear armagedon and calling for victory "at all costs". It's proudly featured on McCain's own campaign website. (Hurry before they yank it.)

Since then there's been considerable heat from Catholic organizations and others in reaction to McCain embracing this weirdo (and it's especially phoney and distasteful coming from McCain, a guy whose most rational act was actually identifying Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell as "agents of intolerance.")

But far from denouncing this raving lunatic, anti-Catholic, anti-Muslim, and fruit-cake Armageddon freak, Capt. Queeg has welcomed his support. McCain said he was "very honored" to receive this endorsement and, when asked about some of Hagee's hateful and bigotted views, responded: "all I can tell you is that I am very proud to have Pastor John Hagee's support."

Yet oddly, Tim Russert hasn't gotten in his face and demanded that he renounce Hagee. Odd indeed.

Glenn Greenwald in Salon writes an excellent piece on this bizarre situation where Obama is hectored to not only renounce and denounce Farrakhan, again, a guy whose support he never sought and has renounced, but Tim Russert has demanded in the past that Obama react to the views of ... Harry Belafonte! Why does Russert think Obama should be called to justify Bellafonte's remarks? I guess they're both black... so to Timmy....

Just go read Greenwald's piece... all of it.

Glenwald sums up a few of Hagee's twisted views which I highlight here:

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

-God caused Hurricane Katrina to wipe out New Orleans because it had a gay pride parade the week before and was filled with sexual sin.

-The End Times -- Rapture -- is imminent and the U.S. Government must do what it can to hasten it, which at minimum requires: (a) a war with Iran and (b) undying, absolute support for a unified Israel, including all Occupied Territories (hence, Joe Lieberman's love affair with them).

McCain butt-boy and all around worm, Joe Lieberman (R-Israel) had this to say about Pastor Hagee:

I begin by thanking your founder, Pastor John Hagee. I would describe Pastor Hagee with the words the Torah uses to describe Moses, he is an "Eesh Elo Kim," a man of God because those words fit him; and, like Moses he has become the leader of a mighty multitude in pursuit of and defense of Israel.

If the press demands that Obama jump through ever higher hoops to distance himself from a religious bigot that he'd already denounced, then why in the hell aren't they doing the same to McCain, who both sought and warmly embraced the support of someone far weirder than Farrakhan? I guess Christian nut-jobs are acceptible, hmmm?

If any politician should denounce a religous nut-case supporter, McCain should denounce this hate-and war-monger who has far more influence and advocates far worse violence than Farrakhan ever dreamed of.