McCain Graduation Speaker For Falwell's University

[Brian Rucker]

So, along comes this little gem to confirm my low opinion of McCain.

LYNCHBURG, Va. -- U.S. Sen. John McCain will speak at Liberty University's spring graduation ceremony.

McCain, an Arizona Republican considering a presidential run in 2008, will address the graduating class at the May 13 event, said the Rev. Jerry Falwell, founder of the private evangelical Christian school.

McCain, 69, labeled Falwell an "agent of intolerance" during his campaign against then-Gov. George W. Bush in the South Carolina and Virginia GOP primaries in 2000.

"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," McCain said at the time. He lost to Bush in both states.

Falwell said McCain's appearance at Liberty is a sign that the senator is wooing evangelical Christians, but it doesn't necessarily signal a Falwell endorsement.

"I was in Washington with him about three months ago," Falwell told The News & Advance of Lynchburg. "We dealt with every difference we have. There are no deal breakers now. But I told him, 'You have a lot of fence mending to do."'

Telephone and e-mail messages The Associated Press left for McCain's press secretary Tuesday weren't immediately returned.
http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-sou--mccain-libertyco0328mar28,0,2643567.story

The whole Republican party is a joke.

[LesJarvis]

I pretty much lost all respect for McCain after the push polls in the 2000 Republican primary accused him of raping black babies or whatever it was, and then he turned around and made nicey nicey with Bush after the campaign was over. Seriously, have some dignity.

[Lara C]

I pretty much lost all respect for McCain after the push polls in the 2000 Republican primary accused him of raping black babies or whatever it was, and then he turned around and made nicey nicey with Bush after the campaign was over. Seriously, have some dignity.

Politics isn't about dignity. It's about doing whatever you have to do to get things done. And if that means swallowing your pride and making nice with a former enemy, then you do it. (Unfortunately, sometimes that same gotta-do-whatcha-gotta-do attitude is taken too far.)

[Brian Rucker]

Politics is also about managing perceptions. Right now? McCain strikes me as about as genuine and driven by the best interests of this country as, say, Hillary Clinton.

His entire approach to independants, like myself, was that he was going to tame the corrupt financing of politics as usual and he'd take the religious right head on. Hell, I bought into it. I believed him. And then he turns around and sucks up to the most corrupt faction of politicians in the country - the Bush team. Now he's supping with Falwell.

[LesJarvis]

Politics isn't about dignity. It's about doing whatever you have to do to get things done. And if that means swallowing your pride and making nice with a former enemy, then you do it. (Unfortunately, sometimes that same gotta-do-whatcha-gotta-do attitude is taken too far.)
Yeah, I'll certainly admit that my reaction to the whole thing is a bit naive. But during the 2000 Republican primary McCain actually managed to make me kind of want to vote for him, which is pretty rare for a republican. Then, of course, he pissed it all away. I understand that to some extent he had to do what was politically expedient, but in doing so he lost any good will he had garnered with me, and other people like myself whom he had similarly managed to inspire to one degree or another.

[DennyA]

Liberty University is a damn scary place. My wife went there briefly in the late 80s and I've heard some stories about Jerry and the students there that boggle the rational mind.

She got demerits for being caught with a Richard Marx CD. Now, I'd chastise her for that too, but for taste, not morality, reasons...

[Midnight Son]

No vote for you!

[Brian Rucker]

Thank god for MSNBC. Between Olbermann's Countdown (which beat CNN and is gaining on a slipping O'Reilly on Fox) and the Meet the Press reruns on Sunday night I've actually found a use for the channel.

And who'd I see but two of my favorite guys on Meet The Press last night. Well, one current, Gen. Zinni and one former Sen. McCain. And for once Russert had his balls strapped on.

MCCAIN: As regards to Rev. Falwell, which is the major thrust of your comments, I met with Rev. Falwell. He came to see me in Washington. We agreed to disagree on certain issues, and we agreed to move forward. I believe that speaking at Liberty University is no different from speaking at the New College or Ohio State University, all of which I’m speaking. I speak at a lot of colleges and universities. I’m pleased to have the opportunity to do so, to talk to young Americans and talk to them about the obligations and the privileges of freedom.

RUSSERT: But, Senator, when you were on here in 2000, I asked you about Jerry Falwell, and this is what you said:

MCCAIN (clip, 3/5/00): Gov. Bush swung far to the right and sought out the base support of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. Those aren’t the ideas that I think are good for the Republican Party.

RUSSERT: Do you think that Jerry Falwell’s ideas are now good for the Republican Party?

MCCAIN: I believe that the “Christian Right” has a major role to play in the Republican Party. One reason is because they’re so active and their followers are. And I believe they have a right to be a part of our party. I don’t have to agree with everything they stand for, nor do I have to agree with everything that’s on the liberal side of the Republican Party. If we have to agree on every issue, we’re not a Republican Party. I believe in open and honest debate. Was I unhappy in the year 2000 that I lost the primary and there were some attacks on me that I thought was unfair? Of course. Should I get over it? Should I serve — can I serve the people of Arizona best by looking back in anger or moving forward?

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 how his views on this program when you have him on,
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/04/02/mccain-falwell/

And that's just scratching the surface. Tim was actually sounding like a journalist there for a change.

Oh, and as for why I like General Zinni.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/15/AR2006031502182.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/21/60minutes/main618896.shtml

[Ben Sones]

Just to play devil's advocate, McCain isn't going to Liberty University to speak to Jerry Falwell; he is going to speak to a graduating group of students. Students who, after four years of drinking from the font of Falwell, could probably benefit from hearing an alternate viewpoint for a change.

I'm not sure why mere act of speaking at the school is supposed to be such an outrage. If his actual address ends up being a bunch of wishy-washy kowtowing to Falwell's kooky ideology, then that's certainly worth some scorn. But has our society gotten so pig-headed that we are offended by the notion of a person even deigning to speak to people that don't share his ideology? Because that's the part that seems scary to me.

[Talisker]

If his actual address ends up being a bunch of wishy-washy kowtowing to Falwell's kooky ideology, then that's certainly worth some scorn.
I see scorn in your future.

[Ben Sones]

I see scorn in your future.

That may be; we'll see. In the meantime, isn't it sort of embarrassing to be less open-minded than Jerry Falwell about... well, anything?

[extarbags]

But has our society gotten so pig-headed that we are offended by the notion of a person even deigning to speak to people that don't share his ideology? Because that's the part that seems scary to me.

Ok, if you don't mind me taking over your role, replace the word "graduation" in the subject line with the word "keynote," and replace the phrase "Falwell's University" with the phrase "KKK rally." Sure, he could be speaking there as an honored guest in order to present an alternate, non-insane viewpoint, but how likely does that really seem?

Also:

MCCAIN: As regards to Rev. Falwell, which is the major thrust of your comments, I met with Rev. Falwell. He came to see me in Washington. We agreed to disagree on certain issues, and we agreed to move forward. I believe that speaking at Liberty University is no different from speaking at the New College or Ohio State University, all of which I’m speaking. I speak at a lot of colleges and universities. I’m pleased to have the opportunity to do so, to talk to young Americans and talk to them about the obligations and the privileges of freedom.

RUSSERT: But, Senator, when you were on here in 2000, I asked you about Jerry Falwell, and this is what you said:

MCCAIN (clip, 3/5/00): Gov. Bush swung far to the right and sought out the base support of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. Those aren’t the ideas that I think are good for the Republican Party.

RUSSERT: Do you think that Jerry Falwell’s ideas are now good for the Republican Party?

MCCAIN: I believe that the “Christian Right” has a major role to play in the Republican Party. One reason is because they’re so active and their followers are. And I believe they have a right to be a part of our party. I don’t have to agree with everything they stand for, nor do I have to agree with everything that’s on the liberal side of the Republican Party. If we have to agree on every issue, we’re not a Republican Party. I believe in open and honest debate. Was I unhappy in the year 2000 that I lost the primary and there were some attacks on me that I thought was unfair? Of course. Should I get over it? Should I serve — can I serve the people of Arizona best by looking back in anger or moving forward?

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 how his views on this program when you have him on

Way to go, no balls Johnny. Surprise, surprise. I especially like how he trots out his standard "I got screwed by the evil Bush campaign in 2000 but I'm such the bigger man that I don't hold a grudge" line, even though it's completely irrelevant here. What an ass.

[Brian Rucker]

Ben, come on. The man's not going there to spread enlightenment values and clear thinking to the savages. If he was, Falwell wouldn't have him. It's quite that simple. This is kissing the ring so McCain will have a prayer (or hundreds of thousands of them) in the Republican primaries.

He's kowtowing to precisely the kind of maroons he stood up against in his Virginia Beach speech. The speech that got me off my duff and working the phones for him in the primary.

[Ben Sones]

He's kowtowing to precisely the kind of maroons he stood up against in his Virginia Beach speech. The speech that got me off my duff and working the phones for him in the primary.

He hasn't kowtowed to the maroons at this point--you're just speculating that he will, and preemptively condemning him for it. I prefer to condemn people based on what they have done, not on what they might do. That's all I'm saying.

[extarbags]

He hasn't kowtowed to the maroons at this point--you're just speculating that he will, and preemptively condemning him for it. I prefer to condemn people based on what they have done, not on what they might do. That's all I'm saying.

Read that Meet the Press transcript.

[Jason McCullough]

Ah, spring. When a young man is pissed off yet again by a supposedly principled politician turning out to be just another whore. :(

[extarbags]

Ah, spring. When a young man is pissed off yet again by a supposedly principled politician turning out to be just another whore. :(

It's nothing like that. I've known McCain to be a whore for years. It just amazes me that people still think of him as principled, and still rush to defend him.

[Jason McCullough]

He sounded ok in 2000. Argh!

[Troy S Goodfellow]

This could be a Sister Souljah moment if he uses it correctly. I won't indict him until I know what he says when he is there.

Troy

[extarbags]

I won't indict him until I know what he says when he is there.

Geez, I didn't know he could be facing charges over this. This is more serious than I thought.

[Brian Rucker]

If I'm preemptively judging McCain so are almost all the commentators I've run across including The Post's national political reporter, Tom Edsall.

Tucson, Ariz.: I was dissappointed to observe Senator McCain seeking reconcilliation with Reverend Falwell. Is this a necessity as one seeks the nomination for president, and as voters do we accept it as part of the system?

Tom Edsall: The McCain-Falwell reconciliation reflects a central dilemma in Republican primary and general election politics: One of McCain's main appeals to independents and Democrats in 2000 was his willingness to defy conservative orthodoxy, including his harsh words for Falwell and Pat Robertson. This year, running (apparently) as a regular Republican, he knows that winning the nomination is very difficult, if not impossible, for someone actively opposed by religious conservatives. The danger of his current strategy is that he may win the nomination, but lose strength as a general election candidate.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/03/29/DI2006032902038.html

[Brian Rucker]

Jon Stewart has a turn with McCain.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/04/05.html#a7797

[Glenn]

Stewart: You're not freaking out on us? Are you freaking out on us? Because if you're freaking out and you're going into the crazy base world — are you going into crazy base world?

McCain: I'm afraid so.
At least he knows what he is.

[Jeremy Johnsen]

I know I'm saying something that's been said thousands of times in the past few years, but wtf happened to you John McCain?