McCain Gets Cozy with the Fire Sermon

Perhaps Senator John McCain is feeling pressure to court the remaining Christian conservative votes he has not already pulled out from under former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who is a former evangelical pastor. Many far-right conservative voters have expressed doubts about McCain’s allegiance to their values, including notorious radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh. This may be the reason why in the past week he has been openly embracing fiery evangelical leaders.

In 2000, the Arizona senator criticized harshly George W. Bush’s decision to announce his presidential candidacy at the notoriously evangelical Bob Jones University in South Carolina. The decision to appear at the school, McCain claimed, showed that Bush practically sanctioned the institution’s history of anti-Catholic rhetoric. But yesterday notorious televangelist and anti-Catholic bigot John Hagee announced his endorsement of McCain, and the republican candidate wholeheartedly embraced it. Hagee cited McCain’s support of Israel and his pro-life stance on abortion. The pastor touts the virtues of a militaristic support of Israel, claiming that the United States will endure a brutal judgment from the Almighty if the State Department does not stop pressuring Israel into peace negotiations with Palestine.

McCain’s strange new appeal with evangelical leaders appears to be broadening. On Tuesday in Ohio, the republican candidate appeared with the Reverend Rod Parsley, lauding him as a “spiritual guide.” The New Yorker mentioned Parsley in a 2006 report on the gubernatorial race in Ohio, detailing his role in the Ohio Restoration Project, a get out the vote campaign that draws no line between God and government.

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