I have liked John McCain for his straight talk and common sense approach of moderation. But seeing him court the religious right has not been encouraging. I know that realistically it may be something he has to do in these day and age of extremism, but it is still very dissappointing. And then speaking at Jerry Falwell’s school?…..yuck
Here is an article that pointed out a few things about what he said there, so maybe he is still staying his own man.
“McCain’s call was for America to act like America: to argue about freedom, but to respect one another, to understand that we are all-even those with whom we completely disagree-made in the image and likeness of God and are thus entitled to equal dignity. The difference between a theocracy and a democratic republic like ours is that religion shapes the life of nation without controlling it. And we are no theocracy. “Let us argue with each other then,†McCain said. “By all means, let us argue. Our differences are not petty, they often involve cherished beliefs, and represent our best judgment about what is right for our country and humanity. Let us defend those beliefs. Let’s do so sincerely and strenuously. It is our right and duty to do so. And let’s not be too dismayed with the tenor and passion of our arguments, even when they wound us. We have fought among ourselves before in our history, over big things and small, with worse vitriol and bitterness than we experience today. … But let us remember, we are not enemies. We are compatriots defending ourselves from a real enemy. We have nothing to fear from each other. … It should remain an argument among friends; each of us struggling to hear our conscience, and heed its demands; each of us, despite our differences, united in our great cause, and respectful of the goodness in each other. I have not always heeded this injunction myself, and I regret it very much.†(Confession is always good for the soul, and usually good for politicians. My old editor and friend Charlie Peters likes to say that people are much more likely to heed a sermon from someone who admits their own sins, and McCain was smart to acknowledge his own weaknesses.)
One phrase from the speech stands out: an argument among friends. That is not a bad way of thinking about the country, a way of thinking that has ancient roots. The commandment to love one’s neighbor as oneself is found in Leviticus, and reading McCain’s remarks reminded me of a passage from John Adams-a passage that is, in the words of St. Augustine, ever old, ever new. “I hate polemical politics and polemical divinity,†Adams once said. “My religion is founded on the love of God and my neighbor; on the hope of pardon for my offenses; upon contrition; upon the duty as well as the necessity of [enduring] with patience the inevitable evils of life; in the duty of doing no wrong, but all the good I can, to the creation of which I am but an infinitesimal part.””