he race for the Republican presidential nomination heated up today as Arizona Sen. John McCain took his campaign to Virginia, and condemned religious leaders Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell as "agents of intolerance" who were "pandering to the outer reaches of American politics." The salvo was just the latest in a round of exchanges over the role of religion in the election 2000 races.

   ¶    McCain delivered his stinging rebuke in the evangelists' home state. Falwell's Liberty University operates in Lynchburg, and Robertson has established a sprawling complex of organizations including Regent University, American Center for Law and Justice and his Christian Broadcasting Network in Virginia Beach.

   During recent primary contests in South Carolina and Michigan, Robertson and his Christian Coalition mobilized fundamentalist and evangelicals to turn out in heavy numbers to support Texas Gov. George Bush. Bush wandered into the fever swamp of religious bigotry when he opened his South Carolina campaign with an appearance at Bob Jones University, a school which until recently refused to admit blacks, but still bans interracial dating. The founder of the school spoke of Roman Catholicism as an apostate religioun of the antichrist.

   McCain was emphatic in trying to reinforce his credentials as a true religious conservative, though; he told a crowd of supporters that he was passionately pro-life. Standing with McCain at today's Virginia Beach rally was Gary Bauer, head of the Family Research Council who until last month also a candidate for the GOP presidential nod. Bauer has signed-on to McCain's campaign, suggesting a split within the religious right over the issue of trusting George W. Bush on crucial issues such as abortion.

   McCain was careful to not distance himself from his party's religious conservatives, taking to task only "a few of their self-appointed leaders." He accused the Bush campaign of misrepresenting his stand on abortion "because I don't pander to them." He also labeled Bush a "Pat Robertson Republican" who could not defeat Al Gore if the vice president succeeds in becoming the Democratic nominee.

   "Neither party should be defined as pandering to the outer reaches of American politics and the agents of intolerance, whether they be Lewis Farrakhan or Al Sharpton, on the left, or Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell on the right," McCain told the campaign rally.

   ¶    McCain was specifically responding to a last-minute telephone campaign conducted by Pat Robertson's supporters in Michigan. Voters were warned that McCain's campaign cochairman, former Sen. Warren Rudman, had made disparaging remarks about Christian conservatives and was a "vicious bigot." In a political autobiography, Rudman had warned against "antiabortion zealots, would-be censors, homophobes, bigots and latter-day Elmer Gantrys to discredit any party that is unwise enough to embrace such a group."

   Robertson's Christian Coalition issued a statement demanding that McCain repudiate Rudman, calling the statements "a direct assault on people of faith."

   ¶    All of this followed Bush's appearance at Bob Jones University, part of a larger pattern involving candidates in both parties rushing for the endorsement of religious leaders, and conspicuously bringing their campaigns into churches. Referring to the flap over the Bob Jones University appearance, Bush campaign strategist Karl Rove denounced McCain for supposedly using religion as a wedge issue. "This is a reprehensible attempt to bring religion into American politics in a very ugly way," Rove gushed on the ABC program "Good Morning America."

   ¶    Feeling the heat over the Catholic issue, Gov. Bush released the contents of a letter he send last Friday to New York Cardinal John O'Connor. Bush claimed, "As a public official, I take seriously my duty to encourage tolerance and respect for the religious views of others," and told the powerful Roman Catholic prelate that his appearance at Bob Jones University was not to be an endorsement of "racially divisive views associated with that school."

   "In my speech to the student," Bush wrote, "I emphasized that I am a uniter not a divider and that Americans can work together for the good of all. On reflection, I should have been more clear in disassociating myself from anti-Catholic sentiments and racial prejudice. It was a missed opportunity, causing needless offense, which I deeply regret."

   Underscoring his commitment to faith-based partnerships between church and state, Bush went on: "I have proposed a broader role for churches and charities in providing social services -- and the Catholic Church has always led our nations in acts of justice and charity."

   The New York Times described Bush's letter as "measured, possibly underscoring his need for the continued support of the kinds of religious conservatives who support Bob Jones University." The paper added that "Mr. Bush condemned neither the school nor its officers, and he did not say that his decision to go there was in and of itself a mistake."

   The McCain camp was quick to seize on the Bush letter. Mr. Rudman told the Times that Bush's statement came more than three weeks after his Bob Jones University campaign stop.

    "It took a long time in getting there," Rudman said.

   ¶    Tomorrow, GOP primaries will be held in Washington State and Virginia. The Washington primary is considered a "beauty contest" since no delegates are at stake, and both the Bush and McCain camps are preparing for the March 7 votes in delegate-rich California and New York.

   ¶    News reports, polling organizations and other sources indicate that increasingly, candidates are focusing on the "religious vote" in both primary races and the November general election. "A profile of which candidate is getting the 'religious vote' is starting to emerge," reports today's Washington Times.

   Citing the religion factor in electoral races, John Green of the Ray C. Bliss Institute for Applied Politics at University of Akron, Ohio said: "It's much more widely discussed than in recent campaigns." He added that while issues like abortion and other "pro-family symbols" remain important, this election has focused on character.

   "These character issues cut across traditional voting blocks, and that may create new coalitions. This is especially apparent in the GOP, where the coalition is diverse religiously."

   The importance of the "religion card" as a campaign issue was underscored last week when pollster George Barna released a special report: "The Faith Factor in Election 2000: Christians Could Be a Swing Vote." Barna noted that while the organizational structures of the religious right had changed, "the born again constituency may emerge as a key voting block in the November presidential election."

   Among Barna's findings:

   -- A race between George W. Bush and Al Gore would find 51% of America's born again Christian segment supporting the Texas governor, with about 31% standing by Mr. Gore. "Among likely voters who are not born again, the Gore lead remains stable at 44% to 36%."

   "The upshot is that without the born again vote, Mr. Bush would likely fall short of the votes needed to win the election..."

   -- Born again Christians "are more likely to be registered to vote than are non-Christians."

   -- Contrary to some perceptions, those describing themselves as born-again Christians who have party affiliation divide themselves equally -- about 35% each -- between the two major parties.

   -- The born again voting block could cast up to 45% of the total votes in the November general election.

   ¶    Election 2000 continues to be dominated by religious themes, public appeals to religious belief and groups, and promises that churches and other sectarian groups will have more, not less, of a voice in government.

[text only]