Frank Rich launches an all out assault on John Hagee, trying to create another Reverend Wright situation with McCain.
That defense implies, incorrectly, that Mr. McCain was a passive recipient of this bigot’s endorsement. In fact, by his own account, Mr. McCain sought out Mr. Hagee, who is perhaps best known for trying to drum up a pre-emptive “holy war” with Iran. (This preacher’s rantings may tell us more about Mr. McCain’s policy views than Mr. Wright’s tell us about Mr. Obama’s.) Even after Mr. Hagee’s Catholic bashing bubbled up in the mainstream media, Mr. McCain still did not reject and denounce him, as Mr. Obama did an unsolicited endorser, Louis Farrakhan, at the urging of Tim Russert and Hillary Clinton. Mr. McCain instead told George Stephanopoulos two Sundays ago that while he condemns any “anti-anything” remarks by Mr. Hagee, he is still “glad to have his endorsement.”
Whatever Frank Rich thinks he is going to accomplish isn’t going to happen. There might be a little more said about this by the time September or October rolls around, but you will not see McCain renounce Hagee’s positions because it will not hurt him politically.
Filed under: Election 2008, John McCain, Politics
