While our nation is at war, American families are being forced out of their homes, and gas is inching towards four dollars a gallon, we have more important issues to talk about than Obama's ex-pastor. I was personally troubled by Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s warped view of the world, and I understand why many Americans were angered by his message, but it’s ridiculous to think the former pastor's sentiment is a representation of Barack Obama's values or judgment. We would be no more justified in criticizing the whole of Christianity for Reverend Wright's comments than pundits and rival campaigns have been in criticizing Obama for vitriol the former pastor spewed. This election is about war, the economy, healthcare and our global climate crises. It's time we focused on these issues instead of what Obama's outlandish ex-pastor said.
Guilt by association is one of those unfair political tricks characteristic of the swift boating and character assassinations that got us eight years of incompetence with a rancher from Crawford. It’s an easy way to score cheap political points, and we can make dozens of connections between John McCain and controversial religious figures with bizarre beliefs.
John McCain gave the commencement address at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University after Falwell said America Deserved 9/11. John McCain said he was "pleased" by the endorsement of John Hagee, who calls Catholicism, "The Great Whore". Hagee also says that New Orleans deserved what it got from Hurricane Katrina because, "New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God." John McCain campaigned with Rod Parsley—a man who believes the reason America was founded was to destroy the religion of Islam. John McCain describes Parsley as his spiritual guide, and Parsley believes that the purpose of American government is to make war in the name of Christ against other religions.
McCain's association with lowlifes, though, is irrelevant. We have real challenges, and it time for us to elect a President who will focus on our common goals and change the political discourse by putting an end to the use of religious differences and wedge issues as political weapons. We need a President who will speak honestly about the challenges we face, bring our troops home safely, put an end to cowboy diplomacy, make healthcare affordable, and tackle the global climate crisis head-on. Without this kind of leadership, we are doomed to sustain our current path of putting political strife before making any substantive policy changes for the benefit of our country.