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McCain Keeps Riding the No-Talk Express on Rod Parsley

From John McCain's speech to the Associated Press' annual meeting on Monday:

Long ago in my career, I made a decision to be as accessible to the press as the press would prefer me to be....I believe in giving great access to the press....I much prefer long back and forths, where reporters have multiple follow ups and I have an opportunity to explain my views in greater detail...I think reporters are better able to meet their first responsibility of ensuring an informed citizenry if they are allowed to press a candidate for more than a gotcha quote or a comment on whatever the cable driven news environment has decided is the process story of the day....[T]he responsibility of an informed citizenry is as much my responsibility as it is yours. I don't believe in deceiving voters about my positions, my beliefs or how I would govern this country were I to have the extraordinary privilege of serving as President. I want voters to know and understand my positions.

So how come McCain's campaign has refused to address questions about his connection to Rod Parsley, the megachurch pastor who has called for the eradication of Islam? I've called his campaign a dozen or so times to ask for a comment on McCain's relationship with this fundamentalist leader--McCain campaigned with Parsley, accepted his endorsement, and called him a "spiritual guide"--yet no one at McCain HQ would respond. As far as I can tell, McCain has not given a straight answer to the question: will you renounce the support of a person who calls Islam a "false religion" and urges its destruction? His alliance with Parsley is one position McCain does not seem eager to explain.

Comments

Maybe McSame is saving his response for the general election?

He can stonewall until the demands for an answer can be portrayed as an attack.

He's a maverick, you know, so he can hang with al the crazies - the M$M thinks it is cute . . .

Posted by: capt - Hussein on 04/14/08 at 11:06 AM Respond

What happened? When McCain used "straight talk" on his wife a few years back in front of several people, calling her the "c" word and other bad things, we hear nothing from the media. You have to know that with his temper, things at home are pretty bad. Let's see, which American values are these?

Posted by: daytrip on 04/14/08 at 12:22 PM Respond

Even though you are a latecomer to this "story," Mr. Corn, you surely have already seen this response from the McCain campaign regarding this "issue":

http://embeds.blogs.foxnews.com/tag/rod-parsley/

In legal parlance, asked and answered. So why don't you rake some muck elsewhere? Frankly you are embarassing yourself.

Posted by: andrew on 04/15/08 at 6:30 PM Respond

Nice Fox article, Andrew. I wouldn't go so far as to say it was "answered".

I like how it uses the phrase "anti-American and racially divisive comments"…. Not true. Or is true if you only listen to the fox 10 second sound-bite loops.

And we still haven't addressed the issue of the Straight-Talk respecting journalists... or does MJ not count? We all know about pandering etc, but to build a campaign on straight-talk.....

And only met Parsley 3 weeks ago…. Hmmmm. So McCain doesn't really go to church? Did I miss something? That won't play well.

Posted by: dustin on 05/08/08 at 10:34 AM Respond

Andrew-it is you who have embarassed yourself! You obviously don't get the point of the story--i.e. the double-standard as it applies to Obama and McCain regarding their cooky pastors.

Posted by: MrX on 05/09/08 at 9:57 AM Respond