It’s getting kind of sad seeing how far John McCain is willing to go to pander to the religious right. In a recent interview on Belief.net he decided to make it clear that he is prejudiced towards candidates who share his brand of popular delusion while at the same time demonstrating his ignorance of history:
“I just have to say in all candor that since this nation was founded primarily on Christian principles, personally, I prefer someone who has a grounding in my faith,” the GOP presidential hopeful told the Web site in an interview published Saturday.
McCain also said he agreed with a recent poll that 55 percent of Americans believe the U.S. Constitution establishes a Christian nation. “I would probably have to say yes, that the Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian nation,” he said.
He’s either pandering or he’s an amazingly dumb shit to make statements like that. Either way it brought out condemnation from some Muslim and Jewish groups (the article doesn’t mention us atheists, but I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who’s pissed about this) and prompted McCain on Sunday night to try and back his ass up with some damage control:
“What I do mean to say is the United States of America was founded on the values of Judeo-Christian values, which were translated by our founding fathers which is basically the rights of human dignity and human rights,” he said.
“I believe that anyone can be president of the United States of any faith,” McCain said, saying he was angry his remarks were misinterpreted but “there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Sure you do, John, you just wouldn’t vote for them because their delusion is different from yours. And I don’t think your remarks were misinterpreted. In fact I fail to see how they could be, they seem to be pretty straightforward in their sublime ignorance.
“Former maverick John McCain’s statements were repugnant,” the group’s executive director, Ira N. Forman, said in a statement. “It’s been sad watching him transform from political maverick to religious right mouthpiece.”
Forman added, “Someone running for president ought to understand the Constitution a little better. Nowhere does it say the United States is a ‘Christian’ nation. How can we trust someone to uphold the Constitution who doesn’t even know what is in it?”
I don’t know if McCain’s comments were repugnant, but they were certainly ignorant and I can’t argue with the rest of what Mr. Forman says above. If he doesn’t even know what’s in the Constitution and what isn’t then how the hell does he expect us to think he can uphold it?
Via ***Dave.
There is no room for misinterpretation here. And maybe we need to have a session, kinda like a debate, where all presidential candidates (and political candidates in general) are grilled on what’s in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Make it a requirement before the can turn in petitions for the primaries.