In our third story on the COUNTDOWN, tonight John McCain has his own version of Farrakhan, maybe Farrakhan super sized, and his response is neither reject nor denounce, but something closer to, what is that, Sonny? Last week, McCain held a public appearance with the televangelist, the Reverend John Hagee and accepted Hagees endorsement, this despite Hagees past comments about—hold that thought for a moment.

On Friday, McCain said that Hagee, quote, supports what I stand for and believe in. Today, McCain though it is simply not accurate to say that because someone endorses me that I therefore embrace their views. So what kind of views, what sort of political nuance does McCain not embrace? Hagee on Catholicism, quote, the greater whore, a false cult system. On Katrina, quote, New Orleans had a level of sin so offensive to God and they were the recipients of the judgment of God for that. Specifically, quote, there was to be a homosexual parade there on the Monday that Katrina came.

On women, quote, do you know the difference between a terrorist and a woman with PMS? You can negotiate with a terrorist. Then there was his fund-raiser for a school, a slave auction. McCain apparently deciding he needs straight evangelical Protestant white male voters who own slaves and don`t live on the Gulf Coast more than he needs anybody else.

Lets bring in MSNBCs David Shuster back at scandal desk in Washington.

DAVID SHUSTER, MSNBC CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Keith.

OLBERMANN: Senator McCain would seem to be in somewhat deep here. How did he get there and why, through today, anyway, does he seem willing to stay there with Pastor Hagee?

SHUSTER: Well, Pastor Hagee leads a mega-church in San Antonio. His broadcasts are seen nationwide by evangelicals. His followers, essentially, match up with the demographic of those who are listening to talk radio, including Rush Limbaugh. So the thinking inside the McCain campaign last is that, given that Rush Limbaugh was pummeling John McCain for the apology he issued after that Billy Cunningham comments about Barack Hussein Obama, given that talk radio was pummeling John McCain for apologizing for that, the thinking inside the McCain camp was look, lets go talk and lets appear with Reverend Hagee, and that will with essentially cauterize the bleeding, staunch the bleeding.

Now, given that Catholic organizations, the media are pummeling John McCain for what Hagee has said in the past, the thinking inside the McCain campaign is look, we need to show evangelicals that we can stand up to the media, that we are not going to cave, are not going to be soft. The irony, Keith is that some of the media who are condemning John McCain include conservatives who don`t like his views.

OLBERMANN: How are they going to have that disconnect where they throw Bill Cunningham under the bus for attacking Obama, but throw this guy under the bus at any point. If they dont throw him under the bus, he is going to be around the candidates neck through the campaign. Is he not just the easiest target imaginable?

SHUSTER: Well, the distinction the McCain campaign is drawing is they say there is a big difference, according to the McCain campaign, between what somebody says at a McCain event, as compared to what somebody says in their own church or broadcast. When McCain stood by the apology for the attacks on Barack Obama, McCain said he supports the right of people to express their views on their own time at their own form, just not at a McCain event.

So, since Hagee didn`t repeat his hateful speech or his apocalyptic views while physically standing next to John McCain at a John McCain event, that according to the McCain campaign appears to be the distinction.

OLBERMANN: The other quote, of course, can be what McCain said, which is that Hagee supports what I stand for and believe in. That may be more troublesome than any of the Hagee quotes. While were talking about Hagee, should we be concerned perhaps about these apocalyptic views that a man eagerly anticipating the end of the world, calls nuclear war with Iran a certainty, wants McCains finger on the button, and implied that he talked to him about Iran a year ago?

SHUSTER: A lot of Americans agree that Iran armed with nuclear weapons could be a threat to Israel. The difference, of course, is Hagee and John McCain have very divergent views about the need to protect Israel. For

John McCain, its because, look, Israel is Americas best ally in the region. For Hagee, the idea is lets keep Israel in a position for the apocalypse, and that if Israel is united, the rapture can happen and all Israeli and members of the Jewish faith who arent converted can be slaughtered and go directly to hell.

It is all creepy stuff. Again, even conservatives tonight say this is something that is not going away, that John McCain is going to have to address it at some point.

OLBERMANN: I think they are right. MSNBC`s David Shuster, thank you David.

SHUSTER: Thanks, Keith.