Republicans distance themselves from disgraced evangelical

[UpInArms]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20707084-2703,00.html

THE Bush administration and the religious Right have nervously sought to distance themselves from disgraced evangelical leader Reverend Ted Haggard after allegations that the father of five had led a double life, using drugs and regularly paying for sex with a male prostitute.

The White House was trying to play down Mr Haggard's political influence after he was forced to resign as head of the powerful National Association of Evangelicals, which claims 30 million members, when Colorado bodybuilder Mike Jones went public about his alleged three-year relationship with the 50-year-old married pastor.

<snip>

The White House - already concerned about the loss of the Christian vote in tomorrow's mid-term elections over scandals such as that involving Republican congressman Mark Foley, who sent sex messages to teenage pages - played down Mr Haggard's connections with President George W.Bush.

A spokesman said Mr Haggard was not a regular member of a weekly conference call between Mr Bush and evangelical leaders.

"He had been on a couple of calls, but was not a weekly participant in those calls," Bush spokesman Tony Fratto said. "I believe he's been to the White House one or two times ... but there have been a lot of people who come to the White House."

...more...

[Mabus]

1. So much for Bush's "loyalty" to friends and Christian values

as I recall, bearing false witness is one of the sins written in stone.

[wholetruth00]

8. Haggard was just another one of those RW"leaders" "used" by the Bush

administration and Republicans to keep themselves in power. If the evangelicals want to repent, they should have nothing to do with politcs for the next ten years.

[jonnywishbone97]

2. I can smell the BS here

Im sure he was at the club with Gdub in the sauna room on a weekly basis.

[closeupready]

3. gotta love that Christian sense of forgiveness.

Fair weather friend, thou art a Repuke.

[kentuck]

4. Yes, he was only the Leader of 30,000,000 Evangelicals...

Why would he be invited? Why not invite the # 2 or #3 man??

[msongs]

5. 30 million birds of a feather... or, if you prefer, lemmings nt

[NoodleyAppendage]

6. WEEKLY conference calls b/w the Chimperior and christofascist leaders!

Haggard's fall from grace and the WH running from any association with him is NOT the most important news nugget from this article. It is the admission that Chimp has WEEKLY conference calls with the christofascist leaders that I find TERRIFYING. Here we have a President who has maneuvered us into a hornet's nest in the Middle East and has little time for matters of great national importance, but he has time WEEKLY to chat it up with bigoted, anti-science, closet racist, assholes and about what????

J

[54anickel]

12. Makes you long for the saner days of the Rayguns and their Physic don't it?

:sarcasm:

[UpInArms]

30. very Monday he is one of just a handful of evangelical leaders patched into a conference call with W

Every Monday he is one of just a handful of evangelical leaders patched into a conference call with West Wing staffers to discuss policy concerns.

from 54anickel's post number 19

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2598495&mesg_id=2598594

[SpiralHawk]

7. "I know Him not." - Peter and the republicon crony "christians"

"He's toooo heavy. He ain't our brother." - republicon cronies

[PassingFair]

18. I believe "former Air Force Officer Mikey Weinstein" has

had his day!

The Allies

In spite of his pugnacity -- or maybe because of it -- Weinstein has enlisted a growing number of big-name allies.

The guest of honor at the party in Arlington is Joe Wilson, a career diplomat whose criticism of the Bush administration's rationale for war in Iraq led to the unmasking of his wife, Valerie Plame, as a CIA officer and, ultimately, to perjury charges against I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff.

He and Weinstein are natural allies, Wilson explains, "because I'm fighting the neo-cons, and he's fighting the theo-cons."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...

[MGKrebs]

9. "Only on a couple of calls to the White House". LOL!

Hell, he could be anybody!

Let's see, Foley, Haggard, Guckert, Graner...

Clinton got one little (legal) hummer, and with these guys we're talkin' prostitutes, drug abuse, child abuse, prisoner abuse, and that's not even getting into the whole Abramoff/corruption thing. Marianas Islands sex slaves anyone?

[TexasLawyer]

10. Ken Lay, Abramoff, Chalabi, Haggard

huh? who? does not ring a bell...

[54anickel]

11. That's the way to piss off and disenchant his congregants and those of

all the churches associated with him! Thanks Dimson!!!! "I knew you not". Most of them know just how involved he was with the WH. Wonder how many votes that is in CO alone? Then there's the nationwide network.

[judaspriestess]

13. Anther example of what David Kuo was/is talking about

unbelievable. I mean the guy at least came out and admitted his "deviant" behavior. WHERE IS THE FORGIVENESS?

[rodeodance]

14. reminds of the time reporters wanted to find out if Abramof was at the WH

[rodeodance]

15. this NEEDS to be the US papers!

[54anickel]

20. Yes it does. The denial has been part of a few articles but not as a

headliner.

[rodeodance]

16. "He had been on a couple of calls"--I WANT to see a pic of him at WH!

[PassingFair]

17. Don't know if this is at the WH....

Certainly LOOKS like it....

[UpInArms]

25. hmmm.....

certainly looks like it's at the WH

[54anickel]

19. TIME Names the 25 Most Influential EVANGELICALS in America

http://www.time.com/time/press_releases/article/0,8599,1022576,00.html

New York – Among the Christian leaders on TIME’s first list of “The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America” are Doug Coe, who started the annual National Prayer Breakfast scheduled for this Thursday in Washington, and two Evangelicals who join the White House’s weekly Monday call with Christian leaders, Richard Land and Ted Haggard.

Others include Michael Gerson, a Bush speechwriter; Pentecostals Bishop Thomas Dexter “T.D.” Jakes and preacher Joyce Meyers; Rev. Luis Cortés, Jr., Stuart Epperson of Salem Communications; and Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention.

snip>

“TIME’s list of 25, composed with the help of preachers, politicians, scholars and activists, deliberately leaves out some familiar figures—Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Don Wildmon—whose stories are well known,” according to Steve Koepp, TIME’s Deputy Managing Editor. “Instead, we focus on those whose influence is on the rise or who have carved out a singular role for themselves.”

snip>

-- Richard Land and Ted Haggard participate in a White House teleconference every Monday with a handful of Christian conservatives to plot strategy on gay marriage, abortion and other issues on the social agenda..

snip>

OPENING UP THE UMBRELLA GROUP: Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals As president of the National Association of Evangelicals, Haggard represents 30 million conservative Christians spread over 47,000 churches from 52 diverse denominations. Every Monday he is one of just a handful of evangelical leaders patched into a conference call with West Wing staffers to discuss policy concerns. “We wanted him (Bush) to use the force of his office to campaign aggressively for a federal marriage amendment, which he did not do,” says Haggard. He is working to broaden his group’s agenda. “With the growth of evangelicalism worldwide,” says Haggard, “we need to impact the cultureworldwide.”

more...

[tblue37]

21. This sounds familiar. Where have I heard this before?

"I believe he's been to the White House one or two times ... but there have been a lot of people who come to the White House."

Oh, yeah--that's what they said about Jack Abramoff.

And wasn't Kenny-Boy Lay also someone that Bush didn't know that well?

[krispos42]

23. Bush used Lay's private jet for the 2000 election campaign

Yet, somehow, Bush just kinda forgot about him. But of course it was not due to alchoholism or cocain use that he forgot about this. Nor because Ken Lay was a corrupt SOB who ruined the lives of thousands of people. The papers, and MSM outlets just photoshopped all those pictures together, don't ya know?

[krispos42]

22. Haggard who? Nooooooo... sorry, doesn't ring a bell

God, it's just amazing. Like we don't have Google and YouTube...

Oh, the denial, the DENIAL....

I don't care that he's gay, but the hypocracy...

[PurityOfEssence]

24. Doin' crank while gettin' cranked; he ain't no son of the lord

I allus knew they's somethin' wrong with that boy.

His denial is the most clueless mendacity since Jimmy Swaggart. I've never had a homosexual relationship and I've never met this guy, although I was referred to him for a massage and bought meth amphetamine from him that I never used.

Makes sense to me: it's just the wickedness in us all and the lord will set him free.

[deadparrot]

26. Run away!!

[54anickel]

27. Why the Haggard Scandal Could Hurt Evangelical Turnout

David Kuo says the Ted Haggard scandal and its fallout shows why, as he makes clear in his bestselling book, it is so dangerous to mix faith and politics

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1554908,00.html

David Kuo, the former number two at the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives in the first Bush White House, is camped out on the NYT bestsellers list with his book, Tempting Faith, about the dangers of mixing politics and evangelicals. He says he met Ted Haggard only a few times, but says that the episode has saddened him nonetheless, especially the headline-grabbing fallout of Haggard's admissions.

"At the end of the day, this comes down to bringing Jesus into politics," he says. "Right now, it's not Ted Haggard on trial. It's Jesus. This is about the God he represents. When you make yourself a public figure and you fall, you bring the perception of your God with you."

"Jim Dobson's response was particularly telling," Kuo says of leading evangelical James Dobson. "He basically blamed the controversy on gays and Democrats. When evangelical leaders can't see beyond Tuesday on any question, what on earth is happening?"

snip>

Politically, Kuo sees a potential to reduce the evangelical vote on Tuesday. "I think the significance of the Haggard thing is this building case against evangelical involvement in politics. Christians are smart," he says. "They can see what influence politics is having."

more...

[antonialee839]

28. Yeah, and Jimmy Jeff Gannon wasn't a frequent fixture at

the White House either.

[Erika]

29. I still want to know how many of my tax $ went to these scoundrels

Under W's faith based programs.