Getting What Was Wished For

Yesterday John McCain rejected the endorsements of two preachers of the extreme religious right: John C. Hagee and Rod Parsley. Mr. Hagee's pulpit oratory has been offensive to Catholics and Jews. Mr. Parsley has offended Muslims.

Mr. Parsley has characterized Islam as an "anti-Christian religion," and declared that “America was founded in part to see this false religion destroyed.”

Mr. Hagee's theology includes what is known as premillennial dispensationalism, that takes a literalistic approach to biblical prophecy. In this view, the nation of Israel has a special place in the trials and tribulations that will end history.

In my estimation this insinuates the precarious relationship between politics and religion in this year’s presidential campaigning. Eight year’s ago Mr. McCain vilified Christian conservative as “agents of intolerance.” This year he courts them to expand his base of supporters.

Mr. McCain's rejection of Mr. Parsley's endorsement resulted in one of my favorite utterances of the campaigns to date: “I believe that even though he endorsed me, and I didn’t endorse him, the fact is that I repudiate such talk, and I reject his endorsement.”