For some strange reason, the 2008 election seems to be the Year Of The Preachers. After tearing Barack Obama apart for being slow in separating himself from former pastor Reverend Jeremiah Wright quickly enough, the Republicans' holier-than-thou karma has come home to roost. This week Senator John McCain, after weeks of being pressed for comment, finally officially disavowed the venomous rhetoric of two right wing Reverends whose endorsements he had actively sought!

McCain says he had no idea of their views or he would have never sought their support. He must be living in a cave! Now, I can honestly say I have never heard of the Reverend Wright before this election but for years I have heard about Reverend John Hagee and Reverend Rod Parsley and their notorious viewpoints.

I can never forget one Sunday several years ago watching the television to see Parsley roam the sanctuary of his massive Ohio church dressed in combat fatigues declaring it was time to declare 'war on the homosexuals" and calling people to battle. Evidently that was not enough to discourage McCain from actively seeking his support and it took a statement declaring war on Islam for the Republican senator to finally say, 'oops, didn't know'.

Hagee - if possible - is even worse. This poor, clueless idiot, who in the past claimed that Hurricane Katrina was God's response to a pending Gay Pride Parade, has also proclaimed that Hitler was God's gift to help create the state of Israel because the Jews were too slow in getting to their homeland. How can anyone believe this stuff? But then you remember what the Germans believed in World War II and you begin to understand the dynamic of unchecked hate.

Now, quite honestly, there is no way in hell that John McCain believes in anything these guys proclaim from their hate-filled altars. I know that in my heart. What this proves is how crazy we have become in this election in holding each candidate responsible for every idiot statement some nutty supporter has mindlessly voiced. It is insane. What counts is what each senator believes, period.

What is not insane is that each and every person of conscience must speak up and condemn such bile in the name of God. Unchecked hatred will create nightmare scenarios that could affect our Republic for years. Of course it was important for both Obama and McCain to speak out against the various statements but we have to stop playing this tiresome game of 'gotcha' while war, poverty and global warming call out to be discussed in this campaign.