March 4, 2008

*Whew* I bet that was keeping people up at nights.

That's right...you have a religious leader on your show who has spouted off such crazy, hate-filled rhetoric and is endorsing the other party's candidate, and the thing foremost on Beck's mind (such as it can charitably be called) is whether Rev. "End Times" Hagee envisions a Democratic candidate as the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Apocalypse. Nice to see him contributing to the national dialogue in such an uplifting way, isn't it?

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BECK: Let me ask you, because I got -- I get so much e-mail on this, and I think a lot of people do, and I`ve only got a couple of seconds. They say Glenn, you and the media, you`ve got to wake up. Barack Obama`s making people faint and cry and everything else. And he`s drawing people in.

There are people -- and they said this about Bill Clinton that actually believe he might be the anti-Christ. Odds that Barack Obama is the anti-Christ?

HAGEE: No chance. He has a lot of charisma. There`s a media love affair with him right now. He is a very formidable political person. I believe the best leader for America in the future is John McCain.

Cenk at The Young Turks:

Reverend Hagee is a Class A kook. Stark raving mad. He believes someone will unite the whole world together and bring peace to everyone - and that person is the Anti-Christ. Yeah, God forbid we should have peace. So, Hagee prefers war instead.

He wants to preemptively strike Iran to start the festivities. So, will this bring peace later at least? No, exactly the opposite, it will bring Armageddon. Then nearly everyone will die - which, of course, is a great thing because Biblical prophecy will be fulfilled and the few people who agree with John Hagee will all be saved and laughing their ass off in heaven. And the rest of us will be dead. Killed by Rev. Hagee's righteous God.

This is who John McCain has been actively pursuing for an endorsement, Hagee and other "Christocrats". These same people he derided in 2000 as "agents of intolerance". As Media Matters points out:

"Some in the media continue to focus on Farrakhan's praise of Obama, even though Obama has repeatedly criticized Farrakhan, while McCain has actually embraced the endorsement from Hagee -- who has a history of inflammatory rhetoric about women, Muslims, the Catholic Church, and members of the gay community," said Karl Frisch, a Media Matters for America spokesman. "Why have so many in the media shied away from asking these tough questions of the McCain campaign? The double standard is very telling."

Full Transcripts below the fold

BECK: All right, the evangelical vote. John Hagee is here. He`s the senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, president of the John Hagee Ministries.

Let me just get this right out on the table, pastor. You`ve had some problem with the Catholics this week, and now it looks like John McCain, who you`ve endorsed, may be distancing himself. Can you explain what happened this week and what your stance is with Catholicism?

JOHN HAGEE, PASTOR, CORNERSTONE CHURCH: Certainly, I can explain that, Glenn. First, thank you for having me on this telecast.

BECK: No problem.

HAGEE: I have written a book called "In Defense of Israel." And in that book, I wrote a chapter called "The Sins of the Fathers." It`s a chapter about anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is an oxymoron. An anti-Semite is someone who is driven by hate. A Christian is someone who`s driven by love. Therefore, there`s no such thing as a Christian anti-Semite.

And in this chapter, I have talked about the anti-Semitism historically. I have criticized the Catholic Church for its past anti- Semitism. But I have also been very critical of the Protestants and their anti-Semitism, especially as led by Martin Luther.

Standing against anti-Semitism does not make me an anti-Catholic. And standing against anti-Semitism does not make me anti-Protestant. I am very much -- anti-Semitism. It makes no difference who participates in it.

BECK: All right. So let me go to the endorsement of John McCain. You`re an evangelical. Mike Huckabee is still in. He`s an evangelical. Do you believe in John McCain? Or is he kind of like the best one out there? Or tell me about your endorsement of him and why not a fellow evangelical?

HAGEE: Well, let me answer the first question about John McCain. John McCain is pro-life, and that`s a major issue with evangelicals. He has a 24-year voting record to back that up. And if there is an issue that`s visceral with the evangelicals it is pro life. The Constitution of the United States begins with the pledge to the life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

BECK: Patrick, you and I -- I`ve sat down with you for an hour. I interviewed you for an hour. And I`m sorry. But I mean, when I say to you, tell me about John McCain, you go pro life first. I don`t think that fits with who I met on my set.

You are a guy who believes we are here in the end days. Is John McCain the guy to make sure that -- that, you know, the end days don`t happen as you believe we could be seeing now?

HAGEE: The fact is, and I believe John McCain brings to the presidency a mature leadership and a leadership that has the strength of character to lead America into the future in a world that`s become a very dangerous world.

BECK: Let me ask you, because I got -- I get so much e-mail on this, and I think a lot of people do, and I`ve only got a couple of seconds. They say Glenn, you and the media, you`ve got to wake up. Barack Obama`s making people faint and cry and everything else. And he`s drawing people in.

There are people -- and they said this about Bill Clinton that actually believe he might be the anti-Christ. Odds that Barack Obama is the anti-Christ?

HAGEE: No chance. He has a lot of charisma. There`s a media love affair with him right now. He is a very formidable political person. I believe the best leader for America in the future is John McCain.

BECK: Thank you very much, Pastor.

Back in just a second. That`s good news, at least where I stand.

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