Is John Hagee John McCain's Jeremiah Wright?

The Reverend John Hagee, a televangelist who runs a mega church in San Antonio, Texas, and has a wide TV audience, is said by some to be John McCain's version of Jeremiah Wright. The comparison, though, breaks down on only cursory examination.

Reverend Hagee has endorsed John McCain for President. He has also alleged to have referred to the Roman Catholic Church in many of his sermons in language that has been rarely heard from a protestant pulpit since the 16^th and 17^th Centuries. "Great whore" and "the apostate church", the first being the phrase from the Book of Revelations, have peppered his sermons. Many people, including Catholic leaders, have pointed out that they have been used by anti Catholic bigots throughout the centuries. Hagee has also blamed the Catholic Church's anti Semitism for the rise of Hitler.

Democrats, still smarting under the controversy sparked by Barack Obama's fiery, hate filled pastor Jeremiah Wright, have demanded that John McCain repudiate Reverend Hagee's endorsement. While stating that he hardly agrees with Hagee's sentiments, McCain has refused the demand. Then the accusations of hypocrisy went forth.

Of course the first problem is that Senator John McCain does not attend Reverand Hagee's church, unlike Barack Obama who attended Jeremiah Wright's church for decades, downloading his hate filled sermons.

As for the idea of repudiating a person's endorsement because of their objectionable views, President Reagan once had a wry observation about that kind of situation. When told that the Klan had endorsed him, he smiled and said that all that meant was they were agreeing with him and not that he would agree with them.