Fallout From Rick Warren's Faith Forum?

And What About Other Uber Christians?
Then Again, With Friends Like Ralph Reed,
Who Needs Enemies?

Last week, news broke that Ralph Reed, former Christian Coalition director and crony of Jack Abramoff, would be helping to raise money for Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) fundraiser in Atlanta. Reed “touted himself as a member of McCain’s ‘Victory 2008 Team’ in an e-mail that solicited donations on McCain’s behalf,” and public watchdog organizations called on McCain to denounce Reed. The Wall Street Journal now reports that Reed was a no-show at tonight’s Atlanta fundraiser.

This now makes THREE prominant conservatives John McCain has had to distance himself from. Whose idea was it to invite Reed anyway? But is McCain distancing himself from Reed, or is Reed distancing himself from McCain? Maybe Reed is being paid NOT to have a relationship with John McCain. Hey, that would be pretty nifty - being paid NOT to endorse a candidate! Sort of like farmers who are paid NOT to grow things.

Who the hell would have requested the presence of Ralph Reed anyway? It shows that the McCain camp is slipping when it comes to endorsements and support. Reed's curriculum vitae is terrible:

• His religious experience was at a Washington bar when the Holy Ghost himself "demanded me to come to Jesus."
  
• His college activist group was supported by Jesse Helms
• He headed his own political consultant firm and had clients like Enron, Microsoft, eLottery and The People's Republic of China.
• He helmed The Christian Coalition and left underneath a shadow of scandal and investigating by the IRS and the Federal Election Commission.
• Then he got together with Jack Abramov.

The person who invited him to the Atlanta fundraiser obviously doesn't have a brain.

There will be other fallouts from the Faith Forum and John McCain's answers: evangelical leaders, for example.

“I don’t think it’s right for pastors to endorse [a political candidate] in the first place,” Warren said on a recent CNN interview when asked if he thinks McCain was right to disavow controversial pastors John Hagee and Rod Parsley.

From Michelle Malkin (before the Forum):

Both candidates will uh and um and blather their way incoherently with vague platitudes about religion throughout this two-hour event.

That's how important religion is to Malkin. I think she was denegrated for her wildly spectulative view.

From TIW by fringe blogger Bruce Tyson:

Rick Warren: pathetic false teacher meddling in politics

Rick Warren is no longer “hip.” In fact, he never really was. Instrumental in building a mega-super church for the express purpose of damning souls to Hell in the name of religion, Warren is again sticking his nose into politics, offering to legitimize evil men (Barack ObamaBarry Soetoro Barry Dunham and Juan McCain) through his imprimatur.

In fact, you might just call Rick Warren the “Lindsey Graham” of false religion.

I'll see what kind of fallout there was on the Obama side tomorrow.