North Bend, WA—

Even though he came to the Pacific Northwest to talk about the environment, Senator John McCain had to deal with a controversial endorser making news. McCain supporter, John Hagee apologized to Catholics today for offensive comments he has made. He wrote a letter to Bill Donohue, the president of the Catholic League for Civil and Religious Rights saying, “I want to express my deep regret for any comments that Catholics have found hurtful.” Donohue has accepted Hagee’s apology.

McCain has heavily courted the religious right, but flatly rejected many of Hagee’s more controversial remarks. Even with those repudiations the presumptive Republican nominee faced heavy criticism for seeking out the evangelical leader’s endorsement.

McCain denied having anything to do with brokering today’s apology, but that he appreciates the reconciliation, “I believe the fact that these two individuals came together is a laudable thing and a testimony to both individuals and their principles, which are Judeo-Christian values.”

He added that he hasn’t “endorsed everything that he said,” referring to Hagee, but that he saw the apology as helpful, “Whenever somebody apologizes for something they think that they did wrong then I think that that’s a laudable thing to do.”

The Democratic National Committee reacted to Hagee’s apology saying that McCain should renounce his endorsement immediately and issued a scathing response, “Now that Reverend Hagee is apologizing for his anti-Catholic comments, does John McCain think that Hagee should also apologize for his other comments?  If so, will he have the courage to say so publicly? Unless John McCain’s idea of being a new kind of Republican includes cozying up to radicals who compare women to dogs, hold racially insensitive fundraisers and call one of the worst natural disasters in our country’s history God’s punishment, he should renounce John Hagee’s endorsement immediately. Given John McCain’s history of putting political calculations ahead of his principles, we’re not holding our breath.”

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Round Rock, TX — Sen. John McCain defended the endorsement of controversial evangelical pastor John Hagee, noting Friday that he does not embrace the views of every one of his backers.

“I don’t have to agree with everyone who endorses my candidacy. They are supporting my candidacy. I am not endorsing some of their positions,” McCain said after a town hall at Dell computers headquarters outside Austin, TX.

Catholic League President Bill Donohue is calling on McCain to renounce the Hagee endorsement, arguing that the San Antonio-based preacher is an anti-Catholic bigot who has referred to the Catholic church as a cult, the anti-Christ and “the Great Whore.” Hagee also espouses radical views about what he sees as the impending Armageddon.

“For the past few decades, he has waged an unrelenting war against the Catholic Church,” Donohue said Thursday. “Senator Obama has repudiated the endorsement of Louis Farrakhan, another bigot. McCain should follow suit and retract his embrace of Hagee.” The Democratic National Committee also slammed McCain for the endorsement Friday.

As McCain attempts to unify the GOP for the general election, he will have to bring together a number of disparate elements of the party, including the evangelical groups key to President Bush’s 2000 and 2004 victories. Hagee boasts more than 19,000 followers and is a major pro-Israel voice for the evangelical community.

“I am very proud of Pastor John Hagee’s spiritual leadership to thousands of people and I am proud of his commitment to the independence and the freedom of the state of Israel,” McCain said, but repeated again that in accepting the pastor’s backing does not mean he agrees with everything “Hagee might have said or positions that he may have taken on other issues.”

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