Posted on Sun, Aug. 27, 2006

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McCain would mull speech at Bob Jones

By LEE BANDY

lbandy@thestate.com

How would U.S. Sen. John McCain respond to an invitation to address the student body of Bob Jones University?

Very carefully.

The Arizona Republican thought about the question when asked last week during his swing through South Carolina. The presidential contender remembered all too well the furor and pain heaped upon then-Gov. George W. Bush of Texas for speaking at the fundamentalist institution in Greenville during the height of the 2000 S.C. Republican presidential primary.

McCain was careful with his response because he was the one who led the criticism of Bush for speaking at Bob Jones and not repudiating the school’s anti-Catholic teachings or policy banning interracial dating.

The university since has lifted the ban on interracial dating and toned down its anti-Catholic rhetoric.

McCain, the current front-runner for the Republican nomination, left the door open for a visit to the university.

No invitation has been extended. It’s too early, school officials said.

McCain said he’d have to look at the school’s latest policy statements.

“I understand they have made considerable progress,” he said. “I can’t remember when I’ve turned down a speaking invitation. I think I’d have to look at it.”

The 2000 presidential primary set a new standard for nasty races in South Carolina.

With McCain encouraging the attacks in 2000, Bush came under steady criticism for his visit to Bob Jones, a Christian school whose leaders had criticized the pope and once labeled the Catholic Church a “satanic cult.”

That same year, McCain condemned religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, preacher Jerry Falwell and other prominent Christian conservatives as “agents of intolerance” who “shame our faith, our party and our country.”

Since then, McCain has moved to make peace with Falwell and others.

McCain says he will decide after the Nov. 7 general election whether to run for president in 2008.

Asked if there’s anything that would keep him from running, McCain said, “I think the major factor would be whether I feel my qualifications and experience and leadership are right for the priorities of the American people.

“That would mean, of course, that we would be making tough decisions on national security, which is a very important issue.”

Since 9/11, McCain noted, most presidential campaigns have shifted their focus away from domestic issues to national security.

McCain said there is one other factor he must weigh before making a decision about 2008, and that is “winnability.”

“I know from the 2000 campaign this is a tough business. It takes a lot of work and a lot of sacrifice. And I’m prepared to do that.”

In South Carolina, McCain has a head start in lining up key support and winning endorsements from top elected officials.

They include state Attorney General Henry McMaster, Adjutant General Stan Spears, state Sen. John Courson, former Attorney General Charlie Condon, former U.S. attorney Bart Daniel and Christian conservative leader Bob McAlister.

Other candidates are seeking endorsements, but McCain widely is judged to be further along in assembling a team.

The message to the undecided is clear: You better hurry and jump aboard the McCain “Straight Talk Express” before it leaves the station.