The Glass Houses of Wasila
I rarely write about national politics on this blog, but I just read an article that really struck a nerve. As you'll no doubt recall, not that long ago, detractors of Sen. Obama pilloried him ad nauseum for the comments made by his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.Well, CNN has a very interesting story which exposes the duplicity of those attacks when it comes to the religious beliefs of Gov. Sarah Palin.
The article leads of benignly enough:
For more than two decades, current Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was a practicing Pentecostal. She belonged to the Wasilla Assembly of God church in her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska. But though she attended the church from her teenage years through to 2002, she hasn't talked much about her religion since joining the Republican ticket...
But if, for some reason, you have some inherent concern about her faith, fear not:
Palin's former pastor, Tim McGraw, says that like many Pentecostal churches, some members speak in tongues, although he says he's never seen Palin do so...And in an apparent attempt to bolster her far-right street cred, her pastor says that:
he has no doubt her religious beliefs will influence her decision making when it comes to government policy. (Emphasis added)So just what are those beliefs you ask?
Palin now attends the Wasilla Bible Church. She was there on August 17, just days before entering the national spotlight. David Brickner, the founder of Jews for Jesus, was a speaker. He told congregants that terrorist attacks on Israel were God's "judgment" of Jews who haven't embraced Christianity. Brickner said, "Judgment is very real and we see it played out on the pages of the newspapers and on the television. When a Palestinian from East Jerusalem took a bulldozer and went plowing through a score of cars, killing numbers of people. Judgment -- you can't miss it."
But have no fear...
The McCain campaign says his comments do not reflect her religious views. Palin's spokeswoman says she is pro-Israel. (Emphasis added)So Barack gets raked over the coals for comments by Rev. Wright, but Palin shouldn't be held accountable for what's said or believed at her place of worship?
Hypocrisy, thy name is McCain/Palin.
