And in a way that I think points out the fundamental difference between his situation and those of Jeremiah Wright.

The Rev. John C. Hagee, whose anti-Catholic remarks created a controversy when Senator John McCain received his endorsement for the Republican presidential nomination with fanfare, has issued a letter expressing regret for “any comments that Catholics have found hurtful.”

The letter was issued after weeks of conversations between Mr. Hagee and Roman Catholic Republicans about repairing the damage to Mr. McCain’s campaign and the alliance built over many years between conservative Catholics and evangelicals.

Mr. McCain said Tuesday that he had not been involved in brokering the apology letter from Mr. Hagee, a megachurch pastor in San Antonio who broadcasts to 200 countries, but that he found it "a laudable thing."

Mr. McCain’s pursuit of Mr. Hagee’s endorsement came under renewed scrutiny recently as the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, was embroiled in controversy over incendiary remarks by his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.

Set aside, of course, that the relationship between McCain and hagee was completely different than that between Obama and Wright. Set aside the fact that the duration of those relationships was completely different. When it comes right down to it, the statements attributed to Hagee -- which were somewhat more nuanced than the media and the Catholic League presented them -- were not all that outrageous when considered in the light of five centuries of post-Reformation Protestant theology. Indeed, they were mainstream theological views only a generation ago among large swathes of American Protestants. Contrast that to the hate-mongering anti-Americanism and outright lies promulgated by Jeremiah Wright.

Does that mean that I think Hagee had nothing to apologize for? Hardly -- even though I left the Catholic Church over some theological differences, I still hold that institution in high esteem and believe that the Hagee's earlier comments were wrong. But then again, anyone who has read this blog already knew that.

But I am struck by another difference between Hagee and Jeremiah Wright in this whole thing -- one is willing to take th time to educate himself, to reconsider his views, and to publicly repudiate statements that were wrong or which could be misconstrued. Wright, on the other hand, simply continued to reaffirm his outrageous comments. In other words, only one of the two men displays any sort of open-mindedness -- and it is not Obama's spritual mentor.