McCain’s Hagee problem: No, wait, my final answer is that gays really were responsible for Katrina

The Rev. John Hagee, a controversial religious figure from whom John McCain aggressively sought an endorsement, has again shifted his story about God sending Hurricane Katrina to destroy New Orleans because a gay pride event was planned there.

Hagee’s original comments to National Public Radio made headlines in the wake of Katrina. Hagee said: “The newspaper carried the story in our local area that was not carried nationally that there was to be a homosexual parade there on the Monday that the Katrina came… And I believe that the Hurricane Katrina was, in fact, the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans.”

That statement led media to ask McCain, after aggressively seeking the support of Hagee, do you agree with his statements? McCain said, “It’s nonsense, it’s nonsense, it’s nonsense, it’s nonsense, it’s nonsense. I don’t have anything additional to say. It’s nonsense, it’s nonsense, it’s nonsense, I don’t have anything more to say. … it’s nonsense. I reject that categorically.”

As the media cycle continued, Hagee retracted his previous statements: “Ultimately neither I nor any other person can know the mind of God concerning Hurricane Katrina. I should not have suggested otherwise.”

But at a Wednesday conference call, Hagee said, that he did indeed mean what he originally said.

When a woman on the call asked why he seemed to have backed away from his Katrina comments in the face of criticism, Hagee said he hadn’t. As for Katrina, he said, God controls hurricanes and “God always punishes unconfessed sin.” You do the math.