Look at McCain’s spiritual guides

Published 4:09 pm Friday, March 21, 2008

A lot of political hay is being made these days about Barack Obama’s pastor. The haters like O’Reilly and Hannity are on it like vultures on roadkill.

But John McCain hasn’t had to defend his candidacy for his associations with Pastors Rod Parsley and John Hagee, a pair of hate-mongering radicals. He has stood on stage with them and called Parsley a “spiritual guide.” Parsley says that America was created to destroy Islam. Hagee called the Catholic Church a whore and believes that an invasion of Iran is necessary to speed the return of Jesus Christ. Would you like President John McCain taking spiritual “guidance” from these nuts during some future crisis in the Oval Office? More to the point, with friends like these can we really conclude that McCain is even qualified for the job?

Is it possible that the founding fathers were onto something when they argued for a separation between church and state? Article VI of the Constitution expressly forbids the use of religious alignment as a test for public office. Isn’t that a wise idea?

Sen. Obama has answered his detractors with honesty, thoughtfulness and candor. He should be applauded for taking it on the chin and hanging in there, a model for true American character and spirit. Instead he’s being pilloried. It’s another example of how Americans are being manipulated by fear. It needs to stop.

Peter Collins