Religious, community, and political leaders are calling for Republican Presidential candidate John McCain to denounce comments made by one of his most prominent supporters. McCain, who visits Atlanta this evening for a high-dollar fundraiser, has been endorsed by Pastor John Hagee.

While McCain was effusive in his excitement about the right-wing pastor's endorsement, he has been strangely silent when it comes to disavowing Hagee's extremist, hate-filled rhetoric. Hagee has endorsed a "slave sale" at his church, and advertised that, "Slavery in America is returning to Cornerstone [Church]."

Dr. Joseph Lowery, of the Coalition for the People's Agenda, said, "It's a shameful display of racism and bigotry, and I just can't imagine Senator McCain, who wants to be President of the people, not repudiating these comments."

"Atlanta is the city too busy to hate, and the cradle of the civil rights movement," said Jane Kidd, Chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia. "With our history, there is no better place to denounce Mr. Hagee's hate speech than here in Atlanta. It's time for John McCain keep to his promise to run a 'respectful' campaign and tell America once and for all whether he endorses Mr. Hagee's divisive rhetoric."