John Hagee, McCain’s pet preacher, has decided that maybe, just maybe, the Catholic Church is not the Whore of Babylon and did not conspire with the Nazis to kill all the Jews. Thanks to “an improved understanding of the Catholic Church, its relation to the Jewish faith, and the history of anti-Catholicism,” he has decided that Catholics might be human and wants “to express [his] deep regret for any comments that Catholics have found hurtful.”
Got that? He apologizes for any remarks Catholics “have found hurtful.” After years, hell decades, of bashing Catholics with his right wing evangelical bigotry, he suddenly realizes that they may have found the comments ‘hurtful.’ Note, though, that he’s not apologizing for what he said, he’s apologizing for the Catholic’s finding them hurtful.
I really have to laugh at these apologies. It’s carefully phrased so that it sounds like he is apologizing for his remarks. If you listen (or read) carefully, he’s apologizing for the Catholics that they were offended. I know I’m nitpicking here, but how hard would it have been for him to say: “I apologize for the words which came out of my mouth”? Oh. Wait. Right wing, Republican, evangelical Christian. To actually apologize for what he said, and not how other people took what he said, would be taking responsibility for his actions. Responsibility and Republicans don’t mix.
As Steve Benen, over at The Carpet Bagger Report, says,
If Hagee is prepared to start apologizing to those he’s denigrated, he has quite a few letters to write. Hagee has argued that Hurricane Katrina “was, in fact, the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans” for hosting a gay-pride parade. Hagee has smeared Jews (he thinks they’re responsible for their own oppression), Muslims (he thinks they’re all inherently dangerous), women, “Harry Potter” novels, and pretty much anyone who doesn’t look and think like exactly like he does.
Hagee will get a free ride as he apologizes for other’s feelings, not what he said. Every conservative gets a free ride from our ‘liberal’ press for lying, adultery, drugs, breaking the law, mistatements, pretty much damn near everything. Must be nice.
Posted in Authoritarianism, Church and State, Politics, Predators, god, hypocrisy
