Hannity And Gingrich Can't Deal With Questions About McCain And Hagee
Reported by Ellen - April 24, 2008 -
In the middle of another Hannity & Colmes (4/23/08) devoted almost exclusively to attacking Barack Obama, questioning his integrity, his patriotism and his judgment over his associations, Alan Colmes asked guest Newt Gingrich whether John McCain should come under similar scrutiny for his embrace of Pastor John Hagee. Gingrich was obviously unprepared for the question. First, he erroneously claimed that McCain had been "very clear" about repudiating Hagee's anti-Catholicism, then hypocritically complained that Colmes had made an "extraordinary smear" against McCain to suggest that he might be anti-Catholic based on the views of Hagee. Sean Hannity's widdle feewings were so hurt that he started shouting. With video.
Noting all the accusations against Obama for his associations, Colmes asked Gingrich, "Do we ask John McCain who has been both repudiated and then said he accepted, and has gone back and forth about the endorsement of John Hagee... and John Hagee just told Dennis Prager on his radio show that New Orleans was cursed because they were about to hold a gay pride parade. He has already bad-mouthed the Catholic Church. He has called it 'the great whore,' 'anti-Christ' and things like that. Should we make sure that John McCain repudiates that to a greater extent?"
Gingrich claimed, "When the question came up for McCain, he was very clear, he repudiates any anti-Catholicism. He repudiates any kind of vicious comments and McCain was quite clear about it. There's a dramatic difference between Senator McCain who did not spend 20 years in somebody's church - but who was quite clear the minute it was brought to his attention - and Senator Obama who did spend 20 years in a church and has not been clear. And I think, Alan, you're grabbing at straws."
Actually, it was Gingrich who was grabbing at straws. As Colmes lays out on his blog, Liberalland, Hagee has made some atrocious statements, every bit as offensive as Rev. Wright's, and McCain has flip-flopped with his statements about Hagee.
Colmes continued, "(McCain's) unclear because he said to George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, first he said it was a mistake to accept Hagee's endorsement and in the very next sentence said he was happy to have Hagee's endorsement. So is he happy or not happy to have it and should McCain bring a little more clarity to that situation?"
Gingrich, digging himself into a deeper hole, said that McCain should adopt Ronald Reagan's position, "People get to endorse me. I'm not endorsing them."
Colmes responded, "He sought the endorsement and now says he wants the endorsement."
Gingrich quickly changed the subject by trying to say that Obama's association with "terrorist" Bill Ayers was worse because they gave speeches together and served on a board together.
"So what?" Colmes said.
Gingrich, obviously trapped, bristled. "You're not suggesting anywhere that John McCain has in any way been anti-Catholic and I think that would be an extraordinary smear on Senator McCain."
"Well, let him repudiate the endorsement and say he doesn't want the endorsement," Colmes said.
Ooh, ooh, that was just too much for bullyboy Sean Hannity. While he has no problem spending an entire program calling into question the character of Barack Obama, a little bit of tough scrutiny of a Republican was just too much for Hannity's thin skin. "Let Obama do that with Ayers," Hannity shouted, interrupting. "He says they're friendly!"
"Did Ayers endorse him?" Colmes asked.
"Yes!" Hannity wrongly said.
"No, Ayers did not endorse his candidacy," Colmes corrected.
Hannity's voice was still shrill and he started gesticulating madly. "You don't hang out with a guy that bombed the Pentagon. You don't hang out with a guy that's unrepentant about bombing your Pentagon... They're friendly. You shouldn't be friends with a terrorist."
Maybe not. And the fact is, Obama is NOT friends with a terrorist. As Hannity knows full well, Ayers was never convicted of any crime, his days as a radical ended when Obama was a child and Ayers is now an upstanding member of society. But since Hannity is so concerned about people's associations, please be sure to ask HIM to explain his much more substantial association with Neo-Nazi/white supremacist Hal Turner.
You can contact Hannity at [email protected]. You can also contact Colmes at [email protected].
