Republican White House hopeful John McCain has rejected the endorsement of a second pastor, this time for reportedly calling Islam the mouthpiece of a conspiracy of spiritual evil.
Pastor Rod Parsley, who had thrown his support behind the Arizona senator in February, also said Islam was an ‘anti-Christ religion that intends through violence to conquer the world,’ according to ABC news.
Senator McCain said in a statement: ‘I believe there is no place for that kind of dialogue in America, and I believe that even though he endorsed me, and I didn't endorse him. The fact is that I repudiate such talk, and I reject his endorsement.’
It was the second endorsement rejected by John McCain after he earlier disavowed fiery evangelical Texas pastor, John Hagee, who said he believed the Nazis did God's will by chasing Jews from Europe.
Reverend Hagee is a well-known television evangelist who founded the strongly pro-Israel Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas. It has 19,000 members, according to his website.
On Thursday, the Huffington Post website posted audio of his remarks in a 1990s sermon, and published comments he made saying Adolf Hitler was a hunter sent by God to herd Jews to the land of Israel.
He said that it happened because God’s top priority for the Jewish people was to get them to come back to the land of Israel.
John McCain, the presumed Republican presidential nominee, called the remarks deeply offensive and indefensible, and I repudiate them.
He said he did not know of the reverend's remarks prior to his endorsement, and he rejected his endorsement as well.
McCain's medical history released
Meanwhile, Senator McCain’s campaign has released 1,000 pages of his medical history in a bid to lay to rest concerns that he is too old, or unhealthy to be president.
CBS News said the records showed Mr McCain had experienced no signs of melanoma since 2002. In 2000, he had surgery for skin cancer on his face, which left visible scarring down one side of his face.
Senator McCain's doctor described him as considerably younger than his chronological age based on his cardiovascular fitness.
Apparently, he does have occasional dizzy spells when he stands up, but tests show the ailment is harmless, and he takes medicine to keep his cholesterol under control.
Mr McCain would be, at 72 next January, the oldest US president ever inaugurated for a first term.
Obama rallying Jewish support
Elsewhere, Democrat Barack Obama explained the roots of his unusual name, listed some of his Jewish friends and voiced support for Israel during a synagogue visit designed to shore up Jewish support for his US presidential bid.
Barack Obama, an Illinois senator and the front-runner for his party's White House nomination, has battled concerns among some Jewish Americans about his race, religion and views on Israel.
He addressed those issues in a nearly two-hour meeting with Democrats and Republicans at a Jewish temple in Florida, a state that will be key to winning November's general election.
He said there is not a single trace of him ever being anything more than a friend of Israel and a friend of the Jewish people.
He told the crowd not to believe fliers and e-mails that suggested otherwise.
He asked that he be judged by what he says and what he has done and not because he has ‘a funny name’.
He said: ‘Don't judge me because I'm African-American.’
Critics have raised doubts about Sentor Obama's commitment to the Jewish state and have floated rumors that he was a Muslim.
Mr Obama, who is a Christian, said as president he would bring an unshakable commitment to maintaining the American-Israeli bond, a mainstay of US Middle East policy.
Questioners also drilled him on his willingness to meet with US foes like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has denounced Israel and denied the Holocaust occurred.
Senator Obama, while critical of the Iranian president, said direct diplomacy with Iran would be more effective than no engagement.
