Political Bandstand

We’ve all heard stories about how McCain did a face plant after four shots of vodka in a drinking contest with Hillary Clinton, but fewer people have heard about what happens when McCain overdoses on Parsley. Throughout much of the Bush administration McCain has served as a reality check to hard line conservatives with his outspoken candor. He butted heads with the Neo Cons on their policies in Iraq and their seeming favor of torture. Suddenly when rumors of McCain’s presidential bid began to circulate, he did a rapid about face. He began smooching at Bush’s boot heels on the Iraq war policy. Before long he was touting torture as if it were better than his granny’s hot cross buns. By doing so he’s been able to successfully gain the support of core Republicans. Bush, however, has lost footing among all but a very narrow group of voters as marked by an approval rating below 30%. So by aligning himself with Bush, McCain has chosen to fight from low ground.

Parsley represents another factor that threatens to pull mainstream support away from McCain. For weeks the media pummeled Obama over the Jeremiah Wright sermons. So much that it cost him several points in the national polls and may have even cost him the Pennsylvania primary. Meanwhile McCain’s connection to Rod Parsley, a spiritual leader who is even far more fanatical and influential than Jeremiah Wright, has gone almost completely under the radar. McCain showcased Parsley at his February 26 campaign rally in Cincinnati, calling him a “spiritual leader.”

Rod Parsley is the pastor of the World Harvest Church in Columbus, Ohio. World Harvest Church has an auditorium that seats 5200 people, and has a 122,000 square foot Ministry Activity Center. Parsley is known for his fervent sermons and forceful speaking style, which can be seen on the Rod Parsley show broadcast by several different television stations nationwide. Unbiased viewers know him for sprinkling truths with false information, assumptions, and misconceptions. His sermons have included some particularly charged rhetoric, including his statement about the religion of Islam: “The fact is that America was founded, in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed, and I believe September 11, 2001, was a generational call to arms that we can no longer ignore.” Parsley has written several books including Silent No More published in 2005. In the book he rails on homosexuals and Muslims, claiming there is a “war between Islam and Christian civilization.” He goes on to call Islam an “anti-Christ religion.”

Parsley seems the perfect man to complete the triumvirate, with McCain as point man and John Hagee bringing up the rear. Even though together they created a team no less suited for each other than the Three Stooges, McCain had a sudden change of heart. With mounting pressure and embarrassment over alignment with extremists, McCain recently saw fit to swat down endorsement from fanatic John Hagee, an Evangelical Christian pastor who has made a number of inflammatory comments including associating Adolf Hitler with the Roman Catholic Church and claiming Hurricane Katrina was payback for gayness in New Orleans.

In a statement to CNN on Thursday, McCain said “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 rejects ministers endorsement, cnn.com, May 22, 2008

McCain later told reporters in Stockton: ”I just think that the statement is crazy and unacceptable.” Yet Hagee’s own testament casts doubt on McCain’s sincerity. In an interview with New York Times Magazine , Hagee said, “It’s true that McCain’s campaign sought my endorsement.” Not to mention, McCain let Hagee ride his crotch for months before deciding he would stiff arm him and then do an about face. The same day, McCain announced his divorce from Rod Parsley. This suggests McCain hoped to backpedal only after realizing the effect aligning himself with such extremist figures would have on voter turnout.

Together Parsley and Hagee create a force to be reckoned with. It will certainly be interesting to see what kind of power they can muster for McCain come the general election in November.