Is Tim Russert a Willing Tool of the Reich-Wing Christian Establishment?

It's an open question.

I don't allege anything about a right-wing conspiracy. It's not a conspiracy. It's an establishment.

I guess because I am basically only somewhere between being a non-sectarian secularist and a non-denominational deist, I haven't kept up with the religious wars of our American realm. Woe was me then, when I was blown off my couch, while watching last week's Cincy debate between Senators Clinton and Obama.

I was totally unprepared for Tim Russert's witch-doctor hunt into Barack Obama's past acquaintances and non-acquaintances. I mean whatever was he after? Did Russert want to log a fatwa against candidates being endorsed by Minister Louis Farrakhan? Russert wasted seven minutes of his national TV audience's time on this. And, of course, Hillary was only too happy to pile on and go along with it, wasn't she?

I was only mildly irritated with this until I woke up and smelled the coffee and learned that Glenn Greenwald was righteously calling Russert out on this carpet.

Russert put Obama through the meat grinder over Farrakhan, even though Obama has never met the Muslim leader. But when was the last opportunity Russert had to ask John McCain about being supported, endorsed, and even introduced by Pastor John Hagee? Well, I'll tell you when. The McCainster was last on Russert's show Meet the Press on 27 Jan 05. Look it up here and you will see there's not a peep about a nexus between the McCainster and the Hatester.

Everyone who knows what Farrakhan has said about Jews, Israelis and Zionists should also know what Hagee says and has said about Catholics, Deists (like myself) and other assorted non-evangelical Christians. A short list:

• All Muslims are programmed to kill and we can thus never negotiate with any of them.
• God caused Hurricane Katrina to wipe out New Orleans because it had a gay pride parade the week before and was filled with sexual sin.
• The End Times -- Rapture -- is imminent and the U.S. Government must do what it can to hasten it, which at minimum requires: (a) a war with Iran and (b) undying, absolute support for a unified Israel, including all Occupied Territories
• Unrelenting war against the Catholic Church. For example, he likes calling it 'The Great Whore,' an 'apostate church,' the 'anti-Christ,' and a 'false cult system' . . . .

Look up actual quotations here, here, here, here and here. And McCain certainly has had close encounters with the Pastor. Here's where he is introduced by Hagee while the Senator and Mrs. McCain reverently stand by. It is taken from McCain's own site, the so-called "Non-Surrender Tour".

Russert is obviously working on some hidden agenda to swift-boat Obama. Why else is there this crappy litmus test that he's forcing the Illinois Senator to pass through? Hagee is a zillion times more influential than Farrakhan. I conclude that, far from an independent journalist, Russert is a $100 whore for the Reich wing. He should be on Fox News.

I urge a fatwa against Tim Russert ever again 'moderating' a presidential debate featuring Democratic candidates.