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Last update - 20:26 23/07/2008
Sen. Joe Lieberman praises pastor who said Holocaust was God's work
By Reuters
Tags: Joe Lieberman, John Hagee 

One of John McCain's most prominent supporters on Tuesday praised an evangelical leader whom the Republican presidential candidate repudiated after a string of controversial remarks were made public.

Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent who frequently campaigns with McCain, said pastor John Hagee's support for Israel outweighed the remarks that led McCain to reject his endorsement.

Lieberman said he had been urged not to speak to Hagee's group, Christians United for Israel.
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"The bond that I feel with Pastor Hagee and each and every one of you is much stronger than that, and so I am proud to stand with you tonight," Lieberman told several thousand members of the group, which urges U.S. support for Israel.

"I don't agree with everything that Pastor Hagee's done and said ... but there is so much more important than that that we agree on," Lieberman said.

McCain, in an effort to reach out to evangelicals who are among the most loyal Republican voters, accepted Hagee's endorsement in March but rejected him in May after learning that the Texas preacher once said that God allowed the Holocaust to happen because it led to the creation of Israel.

McCain addressed Christians United for Israel last year. His campaign declined to comment.

Hagee, who heads the 19,000-member Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, also was criticized for calling the Catholic Church "the Great Whore" and saying that God punished New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina for staging a gay-rights parade. He has since apologized to Catholics.

Hagee said the spotlight had been unsettling and condemned what he said was misleading media coverage.

"What will I say when I'm asked to endorse a presidential candidate? Never again," he told the cheering crowd, which waved American and Israeli flags.

Hagee has written that events in the Middle East point to an imminent apocalypse Christians should welcome, and in several books envisions a climactic battle in Israel leading to the second coming of Jesus.

Christians United for Israel takes an uncompromising stance toward Israel's enemies and opposes giving land to the Palestinians.

Hagee said that it was up to Israelis to reach their own peace terms, and said the group was not trying to bring about a biblical apocalypse in the Middle East.

"We don't believe that we can speed up the End of Days one second because we believe that God has shown that he will set the time," Hagee said.

A organization supporting a negotiated peace in the Middle East, J Street, said it had delivered a 40,000-signature petition to Lieberman's office urging him not to speak to Hagee's group.

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      1.   DELETED BY MODERATOR 20:29  |  Philip 23/07/08
      2.   Obviously it was - refer to Leviticus 26-14 until the end 21:00  |  Binaymin Dissen 23/07/08
      3.   Which God? 21:11  |  Isaac Waterman 23/07/08
      4.   Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas. 21:16  |  Joan Stuchner 23/07/08
      5.   DELETED BY MODERATOR 21:17  |  Mark B. 23/07/08
      6.   Iieberman, good example of political "whoreism" 21:29  |  John 23/07/08
      7.   Courting Hagee 21:35  |  Ray 23/07/08
      8.   DELETED BY MODERATOR 22:11  |  ali 23/07/08
      9.   Stop complaining. you guys support GOP over Dems. 22:32  |  omoll 23/07/08
      10.   Holocaust was attempt to prevent State of Israel 22:32  |  JaxMax 23/07/08
      11.   Re #4, et al. Say what? 22:33  |  DJStahl 23/07/08
      12.   they are deranged lunatics 22:34  |  ap 23/07/08
      13.   Idiotic Anti-Zionists Falsely Condemning Hagee 22:38  |  Tod Zuckerman 23/07/08
      14.   Mr. Waterman # 3 22:44  |  Bill H. 23/07/08
      15.   #2 On God allowing bad things to happen 23:04  |  hala 23/07/08
      16.   DELETED BY MODERATOR 23:04  |  ali 23/07/08
      17.   DELETED BY MODERATOR 23:15  |  Edithann 23/07/08
      18.   ?The Zionist dream solution to the Jewish people" Getto of fear 23:21  |  Frank 23/07/08
      19.   Pastor Hagee Is Our Friend 23:30  |  Yosemite 23/07/08
      20.   According to some "principled" characters on 23:51  |  17 23/07/08
      21.   #14 Bill H. on Pastor Hagee, friend of Catholics 23:53  |  hala 23/07/08
      22.   it wasnt god who allowed the shoah to happen... 23:55  |  scallywag 23/07/08
      23.   Two wrongs do not make a right 00:04  |  Mike from NY 24/07/08
      24.   Mark B from Amsterdam 00:18  |  Bill H. 24/07/08
      25.   #23 Mike ..Freedom, Euality, Justice isn`t Kosher.. 00:29  |  Edithann 24/07/08
      26.   Great commetary 00:32  |  George Hobbs 24/07/08
      27.   Joe Lieberman is a principled American Jewish leader 01:12  |  Nathaniel 24/07/08
      28.   Leiberman the Hysteric 01:21  |  Craig 24/07/08
      29.   I`m More Worried About Obamas Acquiescence to Hatred 01:24  |  Dave Levy 24/07/08
      30.   To Isaac: The Typically Naive, Gullible, Near-Sighted Jew 01:30  |  Dave Levy 24/07/08
      31.   hala 21 01:41  |  Bill H. 24/07/08
      32.   Mike from NY 01:50  |  Bill H. 24/07/08
      33.   Ali # 16 02:01  |  Bill H. 24/07/08
      34.   hala on God allowing bad things to happen 02:09  |  Bill H. 24/07/08
      35.   Holy Joe Lieberman 02:41  |  Mark Lincoln 24/07/08
      36.   #19 Yosemite needs help 03:02  |  Goldstein 24/07/08
      37.   Israel would have been created without the Holocaust 03:08  |  Conroy 24/07/08
      38.   Pastor Hagee is Israels Friend 03:38  |  Nephtaly 24/07/08
      39.   Hagee is demented - Just like those who support him 04:21  |  Awake 24/07/08
      40.   Lieberman and Hagee 04:29  |  BBSNews 24/07/08
      41.   MORE INDECENCY 04:38  |  JOE 24/07/08
      42.   reprehensible 05:06  |  democrat 24/07/08
      43.   Tod Zuckerman 05:12  |  democrat 24/07/08
      44.   re: Yosemite #19 05:14  |  democrat 24/07/08
      45.   Will This Sell in Skokie? 05:43  |  Mark of Lewiston 24/07/08
      46.   False Anger directed at Hagee 07:19  |  Abraham Saks 24/07/08
      47.   DELETED BY MODERATOR 07:23  |  Dav 24/07/08
      48.   #10 JaxMax - Which Temple might that be? 07:52  |  FRitz 24/07/08
      49.   Let`s cut to the chase - Does Haaretz believe in God? 08:01  |  Kenny 24/07/08
      50.   So ANTI-SEMITISM is Now ok? Joe! 08:11  |  PADDY 24/07/08
      51.   Haaretz Let Me Respond To These Guys 08:22  |  Yosemite 24/07/08
      52.   easy,quit takeing christian money. 08:42  |  billy jack 24/07/08
      53.   Hagee did not say anything wrong 08:44  |  semsem 24/07/08
      54.   Reply to Dav (Post No. 36) 10:44  |  Johnny Weintraub 24/07/08
      55.   # 32 democrat 11:15  |  17 24/07/08
      56.   Shoah, Dav. 11:58  |  Ramius 24/07/08
      57.   NO BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 12:10  |  Robert 24/07/08
      58.   LIEBERMAN KNOWS NO SHAME 12:10  |  Arik Silverman 24/07/08
      59.   SILVERMAN A"patriot"do you complain about the Nation Of Islam? 12:42  |  PETER SM 24/07/08
      60.   Holocaust 12:43  |  Choni Davidowitz 24/07/08
      61.   God vs H - - - - - 12:44  |  Natallie Durson 24/07/08
      62.   "DAV"Your "figures" V`s Dr Wolfgang Betz German authority 12:48  |  PETER SM 24/07/08
      63.   DAV Do not forget the role of the Moslem Nazi SS 12:53  |  PETER SM 24/07/08
      64.   At least Hagee doesn`t talk of `raping` Israel 12:58  |  Ilan 24/07/08
      65.   SILVERMAN knows no shame.No problems with the Nation of Islam 13:05  |  PETER SM 24/07/08
      66.   40# DURSON 13:36  |  mike 24/07/08
      67.   DAV Do not forget the role of the Moslem Nazi SS 13:42  |  PETER SM 24/07/08
      68.   36 Dav, denying the numbers in the Holocaust 14:23  |  The Equalizer 24/07/08
      69.   Met Lieberman and went to Israel with his son 2 years ago. 14:26  |  The Equalizer 24/07/08
      70.   what`s the problem? 14:38  |  Said