Story summary:
On Tuesday night, Sen. Joseph Lieberman spoke again to Christians United for Israel- with the tone and biblical references of a sermon- telling Pastor John Hagee's group, "We Americans have real enemies; we do not need to make enemies of each other." At last year's conference, Lieberman compared the controversial religious leader to Moses. He did so again Tuesday in a speech that offered an extended defense of the Texas pastor and, at the same time, a clear disapproval of some of Hagee's past statements. But the rest of the senator's remarks at the group's third annual Washington summit focused on the ongoing security concerns shared by Israel and the United States.
On Tuesday night, Sen. Joseph Lieberman spoke again to Christians United for Israel — with the tone and biblical references of a sermon — telling Pastor John Hagee's group, "We Americans have real enemies; we do not need to make enemies of each other."
At last year's conference, Lieberman compared the controversial religious leader to Moses. He did so again Tuesday in a speech that offered an extended defense of the Texas pastor and, at the same time, a clear disapproval of some of Hagee's past statements. But the rest of the senator's remarks at the group's third annual Washington summit focused on the ongoing security concerns shared by Israel and the United States.
"There are terrorists out there who really do want to destroy our civilization and murder millions of Americans," Lieberman said. "They are at war with us."
Christians United for Israel was started just over two years ago by Hagee, the prominent Christian Zionist who has drawn fire for his opposition to homosexuality and Catholicism and for saying it was God's will that Adolf Hitler drove Jewish people toward a future state of Israel. Such remarks caused a rift between Hagee and presidential candidate Sen. John McCain. Hagee had endorsed McCain, but the Republican senator eventually rejected Hagee.
Hagee said Tuesday in his speech, "What will I say the next time I'm asked to endorse a presidential candidate? Never again. Never again."
Though McCain and Lieberman have been nearly inseparable on the campaign trail, Lieberman hasn't followed McCain's example and disavowed Hagee. Instead, the Connecticut independent senator has been demonstrating, as in his campaigning for the Republican, that he'll do exactly what he wants to do.
When McCain was cutting ties to Hagee in May, Lieberman, too, issued a rebuke. He called the preacher's comments "deeply unacceptable and hurtful." But at the same time, Lieberman said Hagee should be judged by his life's work — a defense he again issued Tuesday.
In front of a crowd of more than 1,000 people, Lieberman said, "No, I don't agree with everything that Pastor Hagee has ever said." Some of Hagee's words, the senator said, "were hurtful and offensive to some people."
Lieberman again drew a parallel between Hagee and biblical figures, this time saying biblical heroes, unlike the demigods of Greek mythology, "are humans — great humans, but with human failings." Lieberman said that Moses had his shortcomings, too.