From a Kos Diary by VirginiaDem: McCain's Sketchy Cast of Characters

[DeltaLitProf]

Two can play at this game. As McCain fires up the guilt-by-association machine, I'd love a quote like this from Biden:

"You know, Barack could play this game too. John, you know I love him, but he's broken bread with some unsavory characters. He's been in Congress for a long time, met a lot of people, and that's just how it goes. But I don't think it casts his judgment in a negative light. It's John's actual judgment on the issues that casts his judgment in a negative light. And so Barack and I aren't going to play this old Washington game of guilt-by-association, we're not going to smear John the way his campaign is smearing Barack. We're going to focus on the issues that matter to everyday Americans, and not debate this sort of nonsense that Americans don't care about. Who Barack and John associated with has nothing to do with how we're going to fix the mortgage crisis, how we're going to fix health care in this country, how we're.... "

You get the picture. Let the speechwriters play with the language, but the key is to point out that McCain has his own closet full of sketchy people.

So, who are they? Well, just off the top of my head:

1. John Hagee -- After wooing him for a year (including over breakfast), John McCain secured and accepted the endorsement of Hagee in February, appearing on stage with him and stating that he was "very proud" to receive Hagee's endorsement. Among other things, Hagee has called the Catholic church "a great whore" and a "false cult"; said that Nazis divine agents were sent by God to chase Europe's Jews towards Palestine; said that God will send terrorists to America to create a "bloodbath" if the U.S. government pressures Isreal to swap land for peace; and said that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God and were the recipients of the judgment of God for that sin.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/5/132655/227/188/604945

VirginiaDem has nine more listed. A superlative and helpful post. Rate it up.