John McCain answered charges that he’s pandering to the Religious Right by making up with Jerry Falwell:
“I think one of the stupidest things you can do in politics is hold grudges. It’s a waste of time and it doesn’t do anything for you or for your constituents,” McCain said on “Fox News Sunday.”
Critics of the Arizona Republican see the Falwell reconciliation as McCain’s bid to win over right-wing conservatives. McCain, however, said he has found that political expediency can create problems.
For example, McCain said, in 2000 he supported flying a Confederate flag over South Carolina’s Capitol to avoid alienating “a certain voting bloc” ahead of the state’s presidential primary. Blacks and many others see the Civil War-era Confederacy as a symbol of slavery and racism, not merely an emblem of a heritage cherished by many white Southerners.
“I shouldn’t be involved in it, it was a state issue. It was an act of cowardice,” McCain said in looking back.
And also: “Well, I’ve learned a lot of lessons in my life. I’m older than dirt.”
Wow, this from a guy who held a grudge on Grant Woods for years.