I’ve been looking around for some of the more outrageous statements made by Jerry Falwell, founder and President of Liberty University where Senator John McCain is set to give the commencement speech.  Here is the worst one so far:

AIDS is the wrath of a just God against homosexuals. To oppose it would be like an Israelite jumping in the Red Sea to save one of Pharaoh’s charioteers . . . AIDS is not just God’s punishment for homosexuals; it is God’s punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals.

This from the man McCain says it will be an “honor” to have host him for commencement.

Does Senator John McCain believe AIDS is God’s punishment for homosexuality?

Over the past few weeks, more than a few eyebrows were raised about Senator John McCain’s acceptence of an invitation to speak at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University. Falwell, known for being an outspoken and sometimes over the top Christian Conservative, had previously clashed with McCain following the 2000 GOP presidential primaries.

In Sunday’s New York Times, Falwell attempts to explain the invitation:

Many in the news media have portrayed my invitation to the senator as an effort to repair a relationship damaged during the 2000 Republican primary. Nothing could be farther from the truth… I have always admired Mr. McCain and nothing said or done in the 2000 campaign changed this opinion.

The decision to ask him to speak to our graduates was a reflection of our agreement on many important issues facing our nation, but it did not mean our positions were in perfect harmony. For example, both of us agree that the traditional family needs to be protected, but we disagree on how it should be done. I support the Federal Marriage Amendment while Mr. McCain favors protections passed by individual states.

These differences, however, do not separate us as friends. As we continue to prosecute the war on terrorism — a war that I have argued is just — I could not think of a better example for our students than Mr. McCain, who knows both the civilian and military sides of a country at war.

So I wonder who was taking more heat? McCain from deluded moderates who are now dissolusioned or Falwell from frothing-at-the-mouth extremists convinced McCain is the next Ted Kennedy? Who caved and decided this op-ed needed to be written?

My money would land on McCain. He is a weaker man who will do anything to get a few votes.

By now, we all know how warm and fuzzy John McCain gets when he talks about Jerry Falwell. Now, it seems the good Reverend is reciprocating:

“By five minutes in, we’d gotten all the old stuff behind us and the air all cleared,” Falwell said. “And, you know, John McCain is a strong conservative. He’s pro-life. He’s strong national defense. He’s a national hero. His view on family is just where most conservative Christians’ views are.”

Well, folks, there you have it. John McCain and Jerry Falwell are in lockstep now. Gosh, politics is a lot easier without those pesky principles. 

Can’t believe I missed this. Seems that McCain promised to never back down from his criticism of Falwell:

Back in 2000, when McCain was asked whether he stood by his description of Falwell, he said, “I must not and will not retract anything that I said in that speech at Virginia Beach. It was carefully crafted, it was carefully thought out.” (Hardball, 3/1/00)

In other words, after promising not to retract his statements, McCain did exactly that and bowed to pressure from the far right.

This morning’s appearance on “Meet the Press” was a once-in-a-lifetime event. Viewers got to see John McCain actually remove his soul and hand it to Satan. Amazing:

RUSSERT: Do you believe that Jerry Falwell is still an agent of intolerance?

MCCAIN: No, I don’t. I think that Jerry Falwell can explain to you his views on this program when you have him on.

Unbelievable. The DNC has a new memo detailing McCain’s recent flip-flops:

WHAT MCCAIN STANDS FOR: THEN AND NOW

Abortion

THEN: McCain Opposed Overturning Roe: It Would Force Women To Seek Illegal Abortions. (San Francisco Chronicle, 8/20/99)

NOW: McCain Wouldn’t Be Bothered By Supreme Court Ban On Abortion, Would Sign South Dakota’s Abortion Ban. (CBS News, 1/25/06; ABC News, 3/29/06; ABC News, 2/26/06; NationalJournal.com, 2/28/06)

Evil

THEN: McCain Called Falwell “Evil Influence” on GOP. (Kansas City Star, 5/28/05)

NOW: McCain Met With Falwell To Lay Groundwork for 2008 Run And Agreed To Speak At Falwell’s Liberty University. (US News and World Report, 11/14/05; Lynchburg News & Advance, 3/28/06)

Tax Cuts

THEN: McCain Opposed Bush Tax Cuts. (Baltimore Sun, 5/27/01; Statement, 3/18/03)

NOW: McCain Voted For Bush Tax Cuts. (New York Times, 2/21/06)

Gay Marriage

THEN: McCain Opposed Federal Gay Marriage Ban. (Los Angeles Times, 1/25/05 3/8

NOW: McCain Said He’s Willing To Support A Federal Marriage Amendment. 1/8Meet the Press, 4/2/06)

Standing Up to Racism

THEN: McCain Condemned Bush For Failing to Denounce Racist Beliefs At Bob Jones University. (Fox, 2/24/00)

NOW: McCain Endorsed George Wallace Jr., Keynote Speaker at White Supremacist Group Gathering. (AP, 11/17/05; 6/6/05)

Creationism / Intelligent Design

THEN: McCain: Local Schools Should Decide on Teaching Creationism. (Times Union, 8/28/99)

NOW: McCain: “Young People Have the Right to Be Told” About Intelligent Design, Refused To Exclude It From Science Classes. (Courier Journal, 12/20/05; Arizona Daily Star, 8/28/05; NPR, 11/7/05)

Campaign Finance

THEN: McCain Was A Champion For Campaign Finance Reform. (New York Times, 10/22/01)

NOW: McCain Laying the Groundwork To Opt Out Of Campaign Finance System For ‘08 Campaign. (National Journal, 12/17/05; Hotline On Call, 12/16/05)

AND LET’S NOT FORGET LOBBYING REFORM

McCain Said He Voted Against Lobbying Reform Bill Because It Was “Weak”… “Senator John McCain… who has long pressed for tougher laws on lobbying, called the 1/8recently passed 3/8 bill ‘very, very weak.’” (New York Times, 3/30/06) But He Previously Rejected More Robust Lobbying Reform Bill. Previously when Feingold pushed a bill with “more robust disclosure of lobbyists’ activities,” McCain “had considered the idea, but viewed it as ‘too onerous’ on the lobbying community.” (The Hill, 3/8/06; San Francisco Chronicle, 1/18/06)

That memo, by the way, is really great at laying out why McCain is a two-faced liar. Americans are catching on to his little shell game, and my guess is that they won’t buy it in 2008.

Remember in 2000, when McCain declared himself independent of the Religious Right? He chastised the religious extremists that dominate the Republican party:

I am a pro-life, pro-family fiscal conservative, an advocate of a strong defense, and yet Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and a few Washington leaders of the pro-life movement call me an unacceptable presidential candidate. They distort my pro- life positions and smear the reputations of my supporters. Why? Because I don’t pander to them, because I don’t ascribe to their failed philosophy that money is our message…They are corrupting influences on religion and politics, and those who practice them in the name of religion or in the name of the Republican Party or in the name of America shame our faith, our party and our country…Neither party should be defined by pandering to the outer reaches of American politics and the agents of intolerance, whether they be Louis Farrakhan or Al Sharpton on the left, or Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell on the right…We are the party of Ronald Reagan, not Pat Robertson. (emphasis mine -DS)

Well, now it seems Ol’ Two-Face has changed his mind about all that. Yeah, he’s going to deliver the commencement address at Falwell’s Liberty Univery. Over at DailyKos, Georgia, from whom I’ve pretty much lifted this story, has some questions for McCain:

• Senator McCain, do you agree with Jerry Falwell that Muhammed, the prophet is Islam, is a “terrorist”?
• Senator McCain, do you agree with Jerry Falwell’s statement that “If you’re not a born-again Christian, you’re a failure as a human being”?
• Senator McCain, do you agree with Jerry Falwell’s statement tht “Blacks, Hispanics, women, etc. are God-ordained minorities who do indeed deserve minority status”?
• Senator McCain, do you agree with Jerry Falwell’s statement that “Most of the feminists need a man to tell them what time of day it is and to lead them home”?
• Senator McCain, do you agree with Jerry Falwell’s statement that if the Antichrist did exist and were alive today, “of course he’ll be Jewish”?

So it’s official: John McCain, has sold his soul.

Will Senator John McCain stop at nothing to pander to the religious extremists in the republican party? The Tuscon Star reported:

McCain told the Star that, like Bush, he believes “all points of view” should be available to students studying the origins of mankind.

Religion and science should not mix. A rational policy would be to group creation stories from all religions into a religion class and leave science in the science class. In order to compete in the world job market, our children need to have a science education that is free from religious dogma. Senator McCain once again is attempting to pander to the radical fringe of the republican base.

The sad story of the political fight over the final wishes of Terri Schiavo is one that the republican party would like to forget. With the vast majority of the American people opposing the political intrustion into a private family matter, the issue highlights the republican party’s lack of disregard for privacy and personal wishes.

Lest we forget, Senator John McCain was an active participant in the GOP hijacking of the woman’s last few days on earth. An ABC News story from March 2005 quotes McCain as saying:

“I think that the motivation of my colleagues is that we want to give this young woman’s family a chance to care for her for as long as she lives,”

Yeah, I’m sure concern for Terri was the only thing on John McCain’s mind. In reality, he wanted to break the law and the right of Terri’s husband to carry out her final wishes. He wanted to politicize the event in order to curry favor with the radical religious right. Anyone who courts them and their extreme agenda is no moderate.

Some people actually believe that McCain is some kind of “Moderate Maverick” who takes on his own party and fights for what he believes. Well, anyone who looks closely at McCain’s actual voting record can tell you this is a bunch of hooey. For example, take a look at the Christian Coalition’s 2004 Congressional Scorecard. They grade Senators based on their votes on six issues. McCain voted with the Christian Coalition on five of the six votes.

The reality is, McCain is no more a maverick than Bill Frist, Rick Santorum, or Karl Rove. McCain’s made his choice: he has sided with those who claim that God gave Ariel Sharon a stroke.