DALLAS (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain has a "Religious Right" problem. His likely Democratic rival, Barack Obama, has a Rev. Wright problem.
In a country where high levels of belief and church attendance often
translate into a major role for religion in election campaigns,
analysts say faith may well be a poisoned chalice for the likely
contenders in the November White House race.
The faith problem for Obama, who would be the first black president
and is within striking distance of the Democratic nomination, stems
from voter anger over anti-American sermons by his former pastor the
Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Wright has said the September 11 attacks were retribution for U.S.
foreign policy and the U.S. government had a hand in spreading AIDS to
harm blacks.
Obama has publicly severed ties with Wright but opinion polls persistently show the relationship matters to some voters.
McCain's trouble lies with the Republican Party's conservative
evangelical base, the so-called Religious Right, which rallied behind
President George W. Bush but has been less than enthusiastic about
McCain because of his past support for stem-cell research and his
failure to back a federal ban on gay marriage.
http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed2/idUSN2035177620080527?pa...
