This Nightline special was called “Why Now?” The panel was asked the question, “What is the rush to war?”

Five years ago, McCain was convinced Iraq had “weapons of mass destruction,” or that at least there was a “clear and present danger.” “Inspections don’t work,” he said, categorically. The threat that Saddam Hussein would “provide weapons of mass destruction to Al- Qaeda justified pre-emptive war (the so called “Bush Doctrine”) and he said smoothly that that the “people of Iraq will rejoice and be grateful to the U.S.” Five years ago Senator McCain was wrong, wrong, wrong and again, may I say, wrong.

Today’s John McCain is convinced the “surge is succeeding” despite the fact that Iraq’s plans for provincial elections have been dashed by warring Shiite factions; Afghanistan is nearly in meltdown and the drug lords seem to be taking over. Fifty-six people just died in a bombing in a Baghdad market. If this is success, I’d hate to see what failure looks like.

McCain intones, “the transcendent challenge of the 21st century is radical Islamic extremism”. This is often accompanied by a vision of permanent war, especially permanent war in the Middle East, where the U.S. will remain in Iraq “for 100 years.”

“Transcendent” is an appropriate word in this context, as it indirectly evokes the transcendence of God, presumably the Christian God. While some in the Republican party have criticized McCain for not being conservative enough, one cannot fault his conservative Christian credentials on this theological issue. A cornerstone of conservative Christian theology is the transcendence and providence of the Christian God and the Christian God’s supremacy over other gods, i.e. other religions.

McCain recently and gratefully received the endorsement of Texas megachurch pastor and televangelist, John Hagee. Hagee’s book Jerusalem Coundown: A Warning to the World uses selective biblical citations to predict that Russia and the Islamic states will invade Israel and be destroyed by God. This will cause the anti-Christ, the head of the European Union, to create a confrontation that involves both China and the West, ushering in the Second Coming of Christ, or Armageddon. His most recent book In Defense of Israel contains selective quotes from early church fathers that are markedly anti-semitic. While the media sometimes refer to Hagee as a “friend of Israel”, it seems to be a short-term friendship. In conservative Christian apocalyptic theology, everybody is finally a saved Christian or destroyed.

This “transcendent” view of world politics is dangerous and extremely volatile. It may in fact be a more dangerous ideology than the one that led us to attack a country that had not attacked us and has kept us at war for the last five years.

There is further cause for concern. We’re not even out of Iraq and the danger that the U.S. might yet attack Iran is increasing. Adm. William Fallon has just resigned; he was, as the Washington Post reported “the only person who might stop Bush from going to war with the Islamic republic.”

Another flag is the choice to send Vice President Cheney, the primary supporter of what is euphemistically called “military options” against Iran on a “peace” mission to the Middle East. Cheney as a peace negotiator is about as good a choice as the Wicked Witch of the West was as a childcare provider for young Dorothy. This visit by Cheney to this area of the world is a transparent pre-emption of the faltering Israel-Palestinian peace negotiations and an effort to turn it into regional support for the use of force against Iran.

A new war. An extension of the current war. War as the permanent solution to all the world’s ills both political and cosmic. When I see President Bush with his arm around John McCain I get a sense of “déjà vu all over again.”

In my view, five years of war is five years too long. I believe that John McCain is offering the U.S. a vision of permanent war, a view that is actively shared by the Bush Administration.

Five years was five years too many. One hundred years is forever.