Paul Krugman: John McCain not knowledgeable about Falwell. 
You see, the problem is that John McCain is not knowledgeable when it comes to Iraq. So, the logical question is, what else is he not knowledgeable about? Apparently, he is not knowledgeable about social issues, either. So, instead of thinking for himself, he forfeits his credibility as a maverick and drinks at the halls of power with Jerry Falwell instead.
After all, as Krugman points out, Falwell and the rest of the Religious Right fanatics haven't changed. For example:
Maybe it was Mr. Falwell's TV appearance with Mr. Robertson on Sept. 13, 2001, during which the two religious leaders agreed that the terrorist attack two days earlier was divine punishment for American immorality. "God continues to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve," said Mr. Falwell, who also declared, "I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the A.C.L.U., People for the American Way -- all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say, 'You helped this happen.' "
Or this howler, from last month:
Well, I'll be damned. At least, that's what the Rev. Jerry Falwell says. Last month Mr. Falwell issued a statement explaining that, in his view, Jews can't go to heaven unless they convert to Christianity. And what Mr. Falwell says matters -- maybe not in heaven, but here on earth. After all, he's a kingmaker in today's Republican Party.
Or this, where he thinks all Muslims are terrorists:
Or maybe it was Mr. Falwell's appearance on "60 Minutes" in October 2002, when he declared, "I think Muhammad was a terrorist." Muhammad, he said, was "a violent man" -- unlike Mr. Falwell, I guess, who said of terrorists that we should "blow them all away in the name of the Lord."
The point is, Falwell hasn't changed. Falwell continues to be the same agent for intolerance that he was when John McCain was lamenting him and his ilk. It is McCain who has flip-flopped and who thinks that intolerance is OK within the Republican Party.
KEYWORDS: McCain, Robertson, Falwell, 9-11, Krugman, Fundamentalism
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