Why Having Evangelicals Handle US Foreign Policy is a Bad Idea

[toasty]

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Delay_US_and_Israel_to_enjoy_0726.html

Some highlights:

That evangelical support for Israel is largely based on "End Times" theology is largely irrelevant to the Israeli politicians who share the goal of expanding settlements into the West Banks and a military strike on Iran, but it is anything but irrelevant to the rank-and-file members and even one former House Majority Leader.

Blumenthal opens the video by interviewing Tom Delay, who when asked how much the "Second Coming" plays into his support for Israel, says, "obviously, it's what I live for, I hope it comes tomorrow."

Delay closed by saying, "we have to be connected to Israel to enjoy the second coming."

Blumenthal then interviews a string of conference-goers who explain how when Jesus returns all of the Jews will be "saved" after realizing the divinity of Christ. He also speaks to several people who say they are looking forward to Armageddon, because it will bring about the "cleansing of the earth."

Let me see if I've got this straight -- in one corner, we have fanatical Muslims, who think that martyrdom is the best thing that could happen to them. In the other corner, we have evangelicals who look forward to the End of Days. That scares the bejezzus out of me.