John McCain to deliver keynote for creationist Discovery Institute

John McCain is freebasing again. Later this month, the Republican presidential hopeful will deliver a keynote address at an event co-sponsored by the The Discovery Institute, a creationist think tank.

Jerry Falwell will co-host a meet and greet for McCain at a national convention of religious broadcasters next week in Orlando. Falwell insists that his co-sponsorship of the event is not a show of support for McCain's presidential bid. In fact, Falwell's office says he may not even show up!

That's right, John McCain, feel the love emanating from the evangelical base.

Comments

[Nicholas Beaudrot]

This a very tenuous connection.

McCain is giving a speech in seattle at for the World Affairs Council, a local policy activist group. It's cosponsored by many people, including Boeing (whom McCain has criticized in the past for its wasteful tanker deal with the DoD), a bazillion other groups, and the Discovery Institute. It's being held at a local (union!) hotel. The topic of the speech is "his vision for the United States in the World". It has nothing to do with creationism.

The Discovery Institute also has a policy portfoloio outside of creationism. Microsoft used to sponsor them because of their research & support on local transportation and urban development issues (I believe they have since dropped their support, but I can't find a source).

So, again, to say that McCain is keynoting a speech "at the Discovery Institute" is a bit much.

[Ole Blue]

McCain is a political whore.

[Diane]

Lindsay,
Do you know if you received my email from Raw Story yesterday?

We're having a bit of trouble with the email system, so I'm just checking.

[email protected]

[Lindsay Beyerstein]

Sorry, McCain is delivering the keynote address at an event co-hosted by the Discovery Institute. The only two co-hosts are City Club and World Affairs Council.

[Angry One]

Mitt Romney's Ford Follies:

- Former Governor of liberal Massachusetts and previous resident of heavily Mormon Utah, Romney cynically announced his White House bid in Michigan.
- Needing to preach a message of religious tolerance, Romney announced his bid at a museum honoring a giant of anti-semitism, Henry Ford.
- Romney's own father George was president of American Motors, which brought us such classics as the Rambler, the Marlin, the Hornet, the Gremlin and the Pacer.
- Romney's message of innovation rang hollow as Ford is in the process of laying off 44,000 workers and closing 16 plants.

For the full story, see:
"Mitt Romney's Ford Follies."

[TheaLogie]

"Falwell insists that his co-sponsorship of the event is not a show of support for McCain's presidential bid.".

Speculation: maybe Falwell's getting a bit paranoid about preserving his 501(c)(3) status?

[Paul Hooson]

This is yet another sign of the decline of "Weathervane McCane". Increasingly, he has been on many sides of many issues, and is beginning to sag in the polls as his former "straight talk" image is taking a real hit with voters.

My favorite recent John McCain moment was on THE CHRIS MATTHEWS SHOW where McCain seemed to favor Gay civil unions before a live college audience one moment, then a few minutes later came out in opposition to Gay civil unions and then was overheard asking a campaign handler, "Did I get it right?". Mr. Magoo couldn't have bungled this appearance any worse.

Indeed, McCain is beginning to act just like the oldest man ever to run for president from the two main parties. Giuliani is no favorite of mine, but both Giuliani and the big business candidate, Romney will likely quickly finish off McCain in the early 2008 primaries, forcing McCain quickly out of the race.

[Nicholas Beaudrot]

The World Affairs Council page for the event lists ten different "co-presenting organizations" that I think just wanted to have their name associated with John McCain. The Discovery Institute is one of those ten; another is Seattle Works, an organization devoted to focusing volunteer efforts on certain local (and national) projects.

I'm not a McCain apologist, and I think "John McCain: Just Another Politician" is the way to end his candidacy. But there's much better stuff to put in his "pandering to the religious right" portfolio.

I would point out that after several electoral defeats at the local level where Evolution came up (most notably that district in Pennsylvania), conservative cranks seem to have dropped the issue.

[Uncle Kvetch]

My favorite recent John McCain moment was on THE CHRIS MATTHEWS SHOW where McCain seemed to favor Gay civil unions before a live college audience one moment, then a few minutes later came out in opposition to Gay civil unions and then was overheard asking a campaign handler, "Did I get it right?"

Paul, you left out the best part...my understanding is that the audience reacted to the obvious waffle with a lusty chorus of booing.

The only thing that might have made it sweeter would have been if Matthews had burst into tears at the sight of his favorite alpha male getting dissed.