Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has never been known as a particularly religious politician, and his relationship with the GOP’s religious-right base has varied between awkward and chilly. Anxious to make up ground with this key Republican constituency, McCain probably thought it’d be a great idea to sit down for a brief chat with BeliefNet, a leading ecumenical religious website. They’d ask a few softballs, he’d mention how great religion is, and he’d score a few points with the faithful. What could possibly go wrong?
Over the course of four straightforward questions, McCain managed to make four controversial comments:
* He said the “number one issue people should make [in the] selection of the President of the United States is, ‘Will this person carry on in the Judeo Christian principled tradition that has made this nation the greatest experiment in the history of mankind?'”
* He said he admires “the Islam,” before saying that the U.S. “was founded primarily on Christian principles,” and concluding — “in all candor” — that he would only want a president “who has a solid grounding in my faith.” He also described ascribing to his Christian beliefs as a “qualification to lead.” (At the bottom of the transcript, BeliefNet added, “McCain contacted Beliefnet after the interview to clarify his remarks: ‘I would vote for a Muslim if he or she was the candidate best able to lead the country and defend our political values.'”)
* Despite the fact that the U.S. Constitution is an entirely secular document, McCain said, “I would probably have to say yes, that the Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian nation.”
* Asked why he recently started identifying himself as a Baptist, after decades of having been identified as an Episcopalian, McCain said, “[It was] one comment on the bus after hours.”
All of this paints a picture of a presidential candidate who knows very little about religion, and even less about the Constitution. Yesterday, the McCain campaign did its level best to make the burgeoning controversy go away as quickly as possible, trying to explain what the senator actually meant by his remarks.
The old adage “if you’re explaining, you’re losing” comes to mind.
As you’d imagine, McCain’s comments weren’t particularly popular with religious minorities, who don’t think of the United States Constitution as establishing a “Christian nation.” Rabbi Perry Berkowitz, president of the American Jewish Heritage Organization said McCain’s comments were “very dangerous and mistaken,” adding, “America is not a Christian nation. It is a multiethnic, multifaith, and multicultural nation, and that is its glory.” McCain, Berkowitz said, “should be called on it and told he is wrong, wrong, wrong.”
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, added, “That kind of attitude goes against the American tradition of religious pluralism and inclusion.” Hooper recommended that McCain meet with Muslim leaders this week, though it’s unclear if the senator would accept an invitation.
The campaign is scrambling a bit. The New York Sun reports today that McCain’s team is “moving swiftly to stamp out a potential political firestorm.”
Yesterday, his campaign took a step further, issuing a statement from its chief spokeswoman that sought to explain and clarify his remarks, but without retracting them.
“The senator did not intend to assert that members of one religious faith or another have a greater claim to American citizenship over another,” the spokeswoman, Jill Hazelbaker, said. “Read in context, his interview with beliefnet makes clear that people of all faiths are entitled to all the rights protected by the Constitution, including the right to practice their religion freely.”
She continued: “He also observed that the values protected by the Constitution, by which he meant values such as respect for human life and dignity, are rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition. That is all he intended to say to the question, America is a Christian nation, and it is hardly a controversial claim.”
I have a hunch this isn’t going to help. The statement is filled with non-sequiturs and misdirection, intentionally steering clear of McCain’s controversial comments. The campaign isn’t clarifying the senator’s remarks; it’s trying to change the subject.
As for the notion that the Constitution established what McCain described as a “Christian nation” because is respects “human life and dignity,” that’s about the weakest spin I’ve ever heard. For one thing, the Constitution is rather silent on these issues. For another, respect for “human life and dignity” are hardly principles that are unique to Christianity.
We’ll see if this story goes anywhere — the major news outlets haven’t expressed any interest thus far — but it’s clear McCain made a mistake that he hopes reporters will ignore.