NPR analyst Cokie Roberts apparently unaware that McCain said he is "glad to have" Hagee endorsement
SUMMARY: Responding to a question about whether Sen. John McCain was "maintaining the endorsement" of controversial televangelist John Hagee. NPR's Cokie Roberts asserted: "Well, he says that it was a mistake to seek and accept the endorsement. So I -- what does that mean? I don't know if that means that he has -- maintains it or not." In fact, when asked if he "no longer want[ed]" Hagee's endorsement, McCain stated: "I'm glad to have his endorsement."
During the April 21 edition of NPR's Morning Edition, while discussing Catholic voters, co-host Renee Montagne asked NPR news analyst Cokie Roberts if Sen. John McCain was "maintaining the endorsement" of controversial televangelist John Hagee. Roberts responded: "Well, he says that it was a mistake to seek and accept the endorsement. So I -- what does that mean? I don't know if that means that he has -- maintains it or not." In fact, contrary to Roberts' suggestion that it is unclear whether McCain still accepts Hagee's endorsement, on the April 20 edition of ABC's This Week, when host George Stephanopoulos asked, "So you no longer want his [Hagee's] endorsement?" McCain replied: "I'm glad to have his endorsement." McCain continued: "I condemn remarks that are in any way viewed as anti-anything. And thanks for asking."
Roberts herself appeared in a roundtable discussion segment on the same edition of This Week, during which the panel discussed McCain's interview, though not his comments about Hagee.
Hagee has made controversial statements about Hurricane Katrina, women, homosexuality, the Catholic Church, and Islam, which many media outlets have ignored in reporting Hagee's endorsement of McCain, as Media Matters for America has documented.
From the April 21 edition of NPR's Morning Edition:
MONTAGNE: And, Cokie, over the weekend, John McCain was asked about one of his controversial endorsements, which touches possibly on the Catholic vote. What's the story there?
ROBERTS: Well, he has had the endorsement of a televangelist named John Hagee. And Hagee has called the Catholic Church, quote, a "great whore." And called it, again, quote, a "false cult system." And the Arizona senator has said he has condemned Hagee's remarks. And McCain claims that his way of condemning it is very different from the way that Obama responded to questions about his relationship with 1960s radical William Ayers. And so McCain clearly is now trying to distance himself from Hagee but also using it as a way to attack Barack Obama, clearly thinking Obama is going be his opponent in the general election.
MONTAGNE: Although distancing himself, but, Cokie, maintaining the endorsement?
ROBERTS: Well, he says that it was a mistake to seek and accept the endorsement. So I -- what does that mean? I don't know if that means that he has -- maintains it or not.
MONTAGNE: Thank you very much. Analysis today and every Monday from NPR's Cokie Roberts.
From the April 20 edition of ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos:
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS (host): Well, you say that he should condemn these comments. A lot of Senator Obama's allies and others say that you should condemn the comments of Reverend John Hagee, an evangelical pastor.
McCAIN: Oh I do. And I did. I said that those -- any comments that he said about the Catholic Church, I strongly condemn, of course.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Yet you solicited and accepted his endorsement.
McCAIN: Yes, indeed, I did. And I condemned the comments that he made concerning the Catholic Church.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But you're going to hold on to his endorsement. Your own campaign acknowledges that you should have done a better job of vetting Pastor Hagee. So was it a mistake to solicit and accept his endorsement?
McCAIN: Oh, probably. Sure. But I admire and respect Dr. Hagee's leadership of the -- of his church. I admire and appreciate his advocacy for the state of Israel -- the independence and freedom of the state of Israel. I condemn remarks that are made that has anything to do which is condemning of the Catholic Church. So -
[crosstalk]
STEPHANOPOULOS: So you no longer want his endorsement?
McCAIN: I'm glad to have his endorsement. I condemn remarks that are in any way viewed as anti-anything. And thanks for asking.
"I condemn remarks that are in any way viewed as anti-anything."
Well, at least McCain has removed any lingering doubts or hopes that he had maintained some integrity and ability for independent thought. He has become just another craven politician who will do anything to get elected. And any ability he had for straight talk has been replaced by mush and muddle-headed mumblings.
"I condemn remarks that are in any way viewed as anti-anything."
So by his own admission, Gramps McCain condems all the remarks he peronslly made that attack Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Ron Paul, Mice Huckabee, etc.
I know that one thing Hagee hates is witchcraft, he denounces the Harry Potter books for their portrayal of magic.
I'm glad to know that McCain denounces his anti-witch rhetoric. Lord knows we need more rights for witches in this country.
Well done Unitarian,
When you're John McLame you just get to say anything. The media lapdogs are not going to call him on it.
One day say this. Two days later say something else. Can you imagine if a democrat had done this? The corporate schlockmeisters would be tearing them to bits.
So? No difference between this and the Rev Wright. move on , stop trying to divide people.
Sue,
Just because you disagree with Rick there is no need to call him an idiot. It demeans you and really does not demean him at all. Having been called so many names yourself by our friends here, I'm sure you understand. Lets all raise our level of discourse above name calling.
AA
You are right, I was wrong and he is not an idiot, I am for saying that.
So? No difference between this and the Rev Wright. move on , stop trying to divide people.
I read this to mean -- Move on [MMFA] stop trying to divide people -- much like the often written WITH. Sorry if I was mistaken, and now I see it could be read differently.
Okay, now lets move on ! :-)
[hand shake]
McCAIN: "I condemn remarks that are viewed as anti-anything."
I don't know about this fellow McCain, but he sure does sound like a politician... he sure does have the Politician's Creed down pat:
"I condemn remarks that are viewed as anti-anything."
Controversial... "maverick-like".
Whew... Two threads on the same day regarding the same interview on the same show. What's next? A third thread, this time regarding Stephanapoulos for the same interview?
I thought we'd seen it all when MMFA would post a duplicate Olbermann WPITW that was directly lifted from a MMFA thread. But now we don't even have to wait for K.O. MMFA's own writers are now doing their own duplicating within minutes of each other!
Good work MMFA! :-)
And yet you feel compelled to post on both of them!
Interesting?
August.
What exactly did I write that is hateful?
You did not write anything that is hateful
However you broke Golden Rule #1 on here, never speak in a bad way toward St Keith Olbermann. Not allowed. EVER!! ;-)
Wow you really are an idiot.
You and Keith can have eachother and the rest of his hateful network of Matthews, Scarborugh, Imus, Savage and Buchanan.Also nice to put words in my mouth, No where did I say anything negative about MMFA. it is my favorite charity.
I mentioned several items, and several posters (you, and others) and did not say that you exclusively critiqed MMFA. By beef with you is about your problem with Keith while not addressing what he says. I hope that clears things up for you, and I should have not "lumped" everyone into the same post.
By the way, idiot ?! That's a bit harsh, don't you think? Having a bad day?
TheRick,
I criticize MMFA when it posts an Olbermann WPITW that was originally posted by MMFA. Frankly I see that as self serving and redundant.
I think I point out many of the weaknesses of MMFA's posts. You are free to disagree.
I do agree calling you an 'idiot' was not called for.
Therick
I apologize, I should not have called you an idiot, i was wrong and i truly apologize. I am moody today , but I should not have taken it out on you.
Again I am sorry.
Sue, you really need to stop with the childish namecalling. You and Solon both engage in it, and it really diminshes the impact of the valid points you often have.
We've all engaged in it from time to time ... myself included. It makes us look desperate and foolish. Let's argue the issues without calling each other idiots and morons, okay???
" Two threads on the same day regarding the same interview on the same show."
Two different inept accounts of the same interview from two different people appearing on two different media sources.
What's next?
Perhaps a third inept account of the same interview from a third person appearing on a third media source?
So if your uncle says or does something, you should be held accountable?
How about other relatives?
My uncle divorced my aunt and completely neglected his responsibility to pay child support.
Fortunately, my aunt had the sense not to garnish my wages for it.
When my Uncle had a hernia, my Aunt didn't make me wear the truss.
(credit due, in part, to All in The Family)
Funny, after seeing these two items on the two accounts of this (or one account, according to AA and probably most children under 4 years old)), I went to lunch and caught a moment of El Rushbo babbling on about the media's coddling of Obama.
Hopefully most American voters are spending more time on planet Earth than the average dittohead.
As all good wimmin' should, I always defer to you, Colonel. Now that particular verbal slam was in reply to truthiness seeker.
Your sugar plum always xxxooo (I guess the booby guy doesn't care for the wimmin' types, eh? All that yackin' and such) :-0)
Careful with this guy JJ, he once said (in a very many way); "I ain't buying the cow !"
You gotta keep an eye peeled with a guy like that. :-)
Here's food for thought. Jeremiah Wright claimed that the CIA helped smuggle drugs into the country which wound up in poor black neighborhoods. John Hagee claims that the Jews have a deed directly from God for Israel and adjacent territories.
There is much more evidence to support Wright's allegation than there is for Hagee's. And that's the inconvenient truth.
Mine eyes have seen the glory...
When viewing the MSM's coverage of St. McSame lately, I think that the only thing missing is Battle Hymn of the Republic playing softly in the background.
That, or a calliope playing Here Comes the Show Boat!
All I hear when watching a McCain commercial is:
Happiness Is A Warm Gun.
TheRick:
This is what I think of when I see a McCain commercial:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=z4EUkIqE4tg
Fun with overused talking points:
"If he can't stand up to the fanatical, fringe religious nuts in this country who are unarmed and powerless, how will he be able to stand up against the armed and powerful fringe religious fanatics from other countries?"
very good.
"Senator Obama, do you think that everyone you have ever met loves America?"
The song in my head today is,"Bongo Bongo Bongo (I don't want to leave the congo)."
When I saw this second thread on the reverand business I though that this is more and very discrete help for Yohny. Any more coments on his religeous friends by the media will refferrence this truncated quote. How many will know that he said he was glad to have Hagee's endorsment?
Could have been worse.
Could have been "Its a Small World".
Oh God!!! You reminded me of a long repressed memory. When I was 14years old, my parents had me take my much younger brother and sister through "It's A Small World" at Disney in Florida. The song playing over and over was horrible. Then, about half way through, we got stuck. I remember it as being a couple of hours (who knows) but they wouldn't turn off the music. "It's a small world after all," over, and over, and over, and over, and over . . . SOMEONE SHOOT ME !!!
"It's a Small World" was once played on a loop at work... EIGHT EXCRUCIATING MOTHERF*CKING HOURS OF "IT'S A SMALL WORLD"!!!
Even driving home afterwards I couldn't get it to stop sounding in my head. I was completely twitchy and bug-eyed rolling the Five. I was just about ready to use a tire iron on my own throbbing cranium, when Jimi Hendrix "Voodoo Child" came on the radio, washing over me like a cool rain, and life was once again bearable.
Man... do I miss Jimi.
Hagee denies having said anything against the papists. You can check his website.
I've been to the Cornerstone Church. It is most impressive.
It was so clear from the segment that Cokie was shilling for McCain.
I was happy to hear that the Hagee story finally -- finally -- made it to a major media outlet. Unfortunately, Cokie explained it entirely from spin of the McCain Campaign.
According to Cokie, this wasn't an embarrassment on the order of Rev. Wright but merely a way for McCain to illustrate "that his way of condemning it is very different from the way that Obama responded to questions about his relationship with 1960s radical William Ayers."
My only question is, is she on the McCain payroll?
Thank you Nerz, I'm awake now.
Ugh!
;0)