McCain rejects Hagee!

[atszyman]

link (http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/22/mccain.hagee/index.html?eref=rss_topstories)

I do love this:
"I am tired of these baseless attacks and fear that they have become a distraction in what should be a national debate about important issues. I have therefore decided to withdraw my endorsement of Sen. McCain for president effective today, and to remove myself from any active role in the 2008 campaign," he [Hagee] said in a statement.

or this:
"Obviously, I find these remarks and others deeply offensive and indefensible, and I repudiate them. I did not know of them before Rev. Hagee's endorsement, and I feel I must reject his endorsement as well," McCain said in a statement to CNN on Thursday.

Didn't he seek out Hagee's endorsement? doesn't a quick Google search yield a bunch of hits for offensive statements?

And then there is this:
McCain has faced similar pressure to distance himself from the Rev. Rod Parsley over the minister's statement that Islam was "an antichrist religion that intends through violence to conquer the world."

A McCain aide downplayed the association, telling CNN Thursday that the senator had met Parsley only one time, over breakfast, and was not aware of the minister's statements before accepting his endorsement.

Another pastor he sought the endorsement of. Of course we have a thread on that here (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=487681).

[leekohler]

Interesting. It's too soon to tell what effect this will have though.

[solvs]

Better late than never I suppose. Though why now? Maybe he's trying to deflect from the lobbyists he's been letting go. That's the real story.

A Fifth Top Aide To McCain Resigns (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/18/AR2008051802212.html?hpid=topnews)

Or all his foreign policy gaffes (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ilan-goldenberg/another-foreign-policy-ga_b_102611.html).

Edit, Or this:

McCain loses national finance chair over lobbying ties (http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/15577.html)

[atszyman]

Better late than never I suppose. Though why now? Maybe he's trying to deflect from the lobbyists he's been letting go. That's the real story.

A Fifth Top Aide To McCain Resigns (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/18/AR2008051802212.html?hpid=topnews)

Or all his foreign policy gaffes (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ilan-goldenberg/another-foreign-policy-ga_b_102611.html).

Edit, Or this:

McCain loses national finance chair over lobbying ties (http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/15577.html)

Now because the focus is moving from the Democratic race since people and the media are realizing that Clinton won't win.

I know everyone likes to bring up the 20 year relationship with Wright to make it seem worse, but weren't all of his comments after 9/11? So which is worse, seeking the endorsement of someone divisive that you don't know well but who has a history of saying such things? or having someone you had a longstanding relationship with who said something divisive 14 years after you had met him?

To me the second is less of an issue since the relationship was formed and had a long history before the inflammatory statements, whereas the first person actively sought out endorsements from divisive figures in order to curry favor with a voting demographic they were weak in.

Of course he has to do it now before the media attention turns to him so that they can turn around and try to stick Wright to Obama again and not seem like complete hypocrites because they've already rejected their conroversial pastor(s).

[solvs]

More than should be covered about McCain that isn't:

McCain's Ethical Dilemma: Campaign Filled With Lobbyist Kingpins (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/23/mccains-ethical-dilemma-c_n_103216.html)
Worries in G.O.P. About Disarray in McCain Camp (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/us/politics/25mccain.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss)
Poor ticket sales, expected protests scuttle Bush-McCain fundraiser at Phoenix Convention Center (http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2008/05/19/daily77.html?jst=b_ln_hl)

And the best part:

McCain: ‘I Received The Highest Award From Literally Every Veterans Organization In America’ (http://thinkprogress.org/2008/05/23/mccain-vet-awards/)

Except he hasn't:

Does McCain Have a Vets Problem? (http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1808161,00.html)

[Gray-Wolf]

Any good preacher, worth his salt, is going to step on toes.

Personal opinion, to spend the time preaching Jesus, and stay away from politics, like Jesus did.

[mactastic]

Ah, but did he concurrently denounce Hagee and Parsley?

Because, if I've learned anything from this primary season, it's that a simple rejection of someone's views is insufficient unless it also comes coupled with a denunciation of that person's views.

[solvs]

Here's something he shouldn't have rejected:

McCain Has Rejected Goldwater Legacy, Says Granddaughter (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/27/goldwaters-granddaughter_n_103725.html)

And someone he should:

McCain Keeps Bush Fundraiser Under Wraps (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/27/bush-fundraises-for-mccai_n_103688.html)

But he's too busy rejecting the GI Bill (though he didn't actually vote against it (http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/5/22/143242/649)), his own immigration and campaign finance reform bills (http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/14447.html), and saying that he's going to save us all a bunch of money he actually isn't (http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/05/mccains_fantasy_war_on_earmark.html).

[solvs]

And someone else he should have avoided:

McCain Campaign General Co-Chair At Heart Of Foreclosure Crisis (http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/05/27/breaking-mccain-campaign-general-co-chair-at-heart-of-foreclosure-crisis/)
Former Senator Phil Gramm, a general co-chair of Senator John McCain’s campaign, actually lobbied Congress on behalf of financial giant UBS to try and stop legislation aimed at installing industry regulations that could have prevented the current mortgage foreclosure crisis.
I'm reminded of those who said the gov could have done nothing to mitigate the mortgage crisis, despite all evidence to the contrary (like the Elliot Spitzer oped I posted, right before he was taken down, where he shows they did make things worse), and of those who were so eager to call guilt by association for Obama. Liebermann, now a big McCain supporter, also said awhile ago that Hagee was like Moses. Even after the Hitler comment, he repeated. Wondering why neither of these were as big in that nasty liberal MSM. Maybe the mortgage thing will do something, though now McCain says he has a plan to help the homeowners as well. First I've heard of that, and no details of course, but at least it's something I guess.

Something I think may hurt him more:

John McSame (http://www.progressivemediausa.org/2008/05/27/john-mcsame/)
According to CQ, Senator John McCain has voted with President Bush 100% of the time in 2008 and 95% of the time in 2007
This after a poll taken during the Wright scandal that said Bush's connection to McCain was more of a concern than Wright's to Obama.

And unlike the thing saying Obama was the most liberal senator, this one's actually true.

[solvs]

Countdown: McCain’s Lobbyist Campaign Co-Chair Phil Gramm Creating More Controversy (http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/06/02/countdown-mccains-lobbyist-campaign-co-chair-phil-gramm-creating-more-controversy/)
Last week we brought you this story about McCain campaign Co-Chair Phil Gramm and his lobbying efforts that put him on the wrong side of the ongoing mortgage foreclosure crisis. Now, it appears Gramm’s association with the aging Republican senator’s campaign is doing far more harm that previously known. UBS, a bank for which Gramm lobbied, is now under investigation for alleged use of overseas tax havens to hide assets of its wealthy clients from U.S. authorities — while in office, Gramm also supported these tax havens after 9/11, which hampered the government’s ability to track Osama bin Laden’s financial network before 9/11.
Why do I have a feeling if one of Obama's advisers did any of these things, it would be all over the news?