Rod Parsley, John McCain's 'Spiritual Guide'

A number of media outlets have picked up on John McCain’s embrace of fringe televangelist John Hagee, although (thanks in part to the Catholic League’s efforts) the focus has been on Hagee’s anti-Catholic sentiment rather than the pastor’s far-right political views or his obsession that Israel must be defeated by a Russian-Arab military alliance, perhaps preceded by a U.S. invasion of Iran, in order to usher in Armageddon and the second coming of Jesus.

But few have paid attention to the other far-right televangelist McCain embraced last week, Rod Parsley.

You won’t hear Parsley rail against Catholics, but you will hear him rail against gays, abortion, Islam, judges, and People For the American Way. And in Ohio, he has built a political machine of partisan “Patriot Pastors” who will turn their churches into get-out-the-vote campaigns.