Speaking at the Christians United for Israel, Sen. Joseph Lieberman told 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 Senator Lieberman said John Hagee was a controversial religious leader. In his speech on Tuesday he did again and also dissapproved of some of Hagee's past statements, but the rest of the senator's remarks for the third annual Washington summit focused issues of 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, which is now in its third year, was started by John Hagee who drew some fire for his saying it was God's will that Adolf Hitler drove Jewish people toward a future state of Israel. Those remarks caused a problem between Hagee and presidential candidate Sen. John McCain. Hagee had endorsed McCain, but the Republican senator eventually after hearing those remarks had to reject Hagee. Speaking on Tuesday John Hagee in his speech said, "What will I say the next time I'm asked to endorse a presidential candidate? Never again. Never again."
Senator Lieberman on the other hand hasn't followed McCain's example and disavowed Hagee. Instead, the Connecticut independent senator has been demonstrating, as in his campaigning for the Republican Senator John McCain, that he'll do exactly what he wants to do.
Senator Lieberman did issue a rebuke on Hagee's comments, though. 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 which he again said at the meeting.
Lieberman drew a parallel between Hagee and some biblical figures, this time saying biblical heroes, unlike the demigods of Greek mythology, "are humans, great humans, but with human failings."
"Dear friends, I can only imagine what the bloggers of today would have had to say about Moses and Miriam."
Christians United for Israel began gathering in Washington on Sunday and will stay through Thursday. Tuesday's event, "A Night to Honor Israel," was the segment open to the media. The night's three big speakers were Lieberman, Hagee and Ambassador Daniel Gillerman, the outgoing Israeli ambassador to the United Nations. In a giant Washington Convention Center hall with hundreds of tables, the audience watched the speakers and pro-Israel videos, listened to music, including both nations' anthems and waved U.S. and Israeli flags at every opportunity.
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