By the way, John Hagee has been controversial in the Jewish community, for reasons you might not expect. Though he’s been anti-Catholic and anti-Muslim, Hagee has been a defender of Jews and foe of anti-Semiticism. His group Christians United For Israel has raised money and lobbied for Israel, to the point that Hagee is now an invited guest speaker at prestigious Jewish functions.
He’s controversial, though, because the reason he supports Israel is that he believes it will play a crucial role in an End Times apocalypse. He believes that for the Rapture and Christ’s return to occur, there will need to be a catastrophic war in the Middle East. He opposes a two-state solution in the Mideast and is hankering for war with Iran. In other words, he has a theological desire for tensions to be worse not better in the Mideast.
But because he supports Israel, he has earned tremendous support from American Jews., As the Forward put it;

“And like orphans parched for love, we run to drink Hagee’s Kool-Aid. So he is invited to the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and is greeted there with rapturous applause. He is given the “Humanitarian of the Year” award by the San Antonio B’nai B’rith Council. He is honored with the Zionist Organization of America’s “Israel Award.” In the two years since its birth, CUFI [Christian United For Israel] has sponsored 75 times, in cities all across America, a “Night to Honor Israel,” most if not all including participation by local rabbis and Jewish federation executives.”

Perhaps McCain saw a Hagee endorsement as a two-fer, winning over both Christians and Jews. Now he’s facing charges that he’s soft on anti-Catholic bigotry. Religious pandering is complicated, isn’t?

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