June 18, 2008
The Rev. John Hagee, “the other pastor” in this already nasty presidential election, has not surprisingly made statements that have angered many Jews. High among the list are comments suggesting that the Holocaust was necessary to bring the Jews back to Israel which, of course, would lead to the return of Jesus – and you know what for those who decline to polish the rosary beads that the modern disciples will dish out at Ben-Gurion Airport.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) at first had had warmly accepted Rev. Hagee’s enthusiastic support. Then he was then forced to spurn it.
Now Rev. Hagee has apologized for his noxious comments. Should we Jews take that apology at face value? When is “I’m sorry” enough, and can it ever be? What about Sen. McCain? Should we slam him for eagerly lapping up Rev. Hagee’s support, despite now saying he no longer wants it?
Despite the partisan clash of verbal swords, and while we Jews can never forget, we are masters at moving on, which is what we should do here.
Remember, Rev. Hagee isn’t going away. He still commands national media attention and influences a slice of the American Evangelical community – albeit far from all of it. Hopefully – perhaps naively – I think now he’s a little more aware of how his comments shape the public discourse in our media-driven culture.
And let’s make sure that we’re not playing with a double standard. Democratic candidate Sen. Barrack Obama (D-Ill.) belatedly said he rejected the hate of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, whose career is now over. The latter than dug his hole that much deeper with his bizarre behavior at the National Press Club. Most Jewish Democrats – in presidential elections for decades the overwhelmingly Jewish vote has gone Democrat – remain uncomfortable with Mr. Obama’s historic association with Rev. Wright. Yet, they’re willing to move in.
So let’s do the same with the McCain-Hagee team. Revs. Hagee and Wright aren’t going to be put in the Responsible Religious Leaders Hall of Fame, and Sens. McCain and Obama aren’t running for sainthood.
Now our fine Senators are the latest politicians to learn that religion and politics present a noxious mix. That lesson tucked away, let’s get back to the real issues that face our nation.
Posted by on 06/18/08 at 03:33 PM | Comments (0)
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