According to many in the media, McCain demonstrated a measure of contrition yesterday when he called for Obama to be treated with respect and rebuked the ignorant comments of several supporters. Although these gestures indicated to some that the McCain campaign intended to turn down the rhetoric--even if only for tactical reasons--the project of highlighting Obama's supposed "otherness" continued today at a rally in Iowa.
The event in Davenport began with an invocation by Rev. Arnold Conrad, who had this to say:
"I would also pray, Lord, that your reputation is involved in all that happens between now and November, because there are millions of people around this world praying to their god - whether it’s Hindu, Buddha, Allah - that his opponent wins, for a variety of reasons," Conrad said.
"And Lord, I pray that you would guard your own reputation, because they’re going to think that their god is bigger than you, if that happens. So I pray that you will step forward and honor your own name with all that happens between now and Election Day."
Predictably, the McCain campaign attempted to distance itself from the comments after the fact, releasing the following statement:
"While we understand the important role that faith plays in informing the votes of Iowans, questions about the religious background of the candidates only serve to distract from the real questions in this race about Barack Obama’s judgment, policies and readiness to lead as commander in chief."
The retroactive repudiation seems to have become a popular maneuver within the McCain camp, but after one too many "Barack Hussein Obama" introductions, it no longer has much credibility.
Despite his plummeting poll numbers, McCain is sure to have a lock on that much coveted "rabid Islamophobe" demographic!
Full coverage of the event can be found here.
UPDATE: CNN also has the story.