A video, first posted at Talk to Action, had Hagee -- the Pastor of the San Antonio, Texas-based Cornerstone Church, the overseer of a multi-million dollar evangelical empire, and the founder of the Christian Zionist group, Christians United for Israel -- bellowing that God had sent Adolph Hitler to hunt the Jews, chase them from Europe, and drive them to Palestine.

When the dust settled, Hagee had been tossed to the curb.

"Obviously, I find these remarks and others deeply offensive and indefensible," McCain said in a statement. "I did not know of them before Reverend Hagee's endorsement, and I feel I must reject his endorsement as well."

Hagee reboots Hagee

Now, four years later, Hagee is aiming to insert himself into presidential politics by issuing a call for 40 days of prayer over the presidential election.  

Hagee has a number of platforms from which he operates. In early July, People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch reported that he had launched Global Evangelism Television (GETV) "a new internet endeavor ... which seems to be a one-stop destination for all your John Hagee Ministries-related needs. The website features live events along with music videos, short messages, looks behind the scenes, and current and archived sermons."

One of Hagee's recently produced videos is titled The Agenda to Destroy America, during which he "spent a half-hour talking directly to the camera about how Communists have succeeded in taking over America," Right Wing Watch noted.

Organizing via e-mail

According to Charisma News, Hagee recently sent an e-mail to all Christians and people of faith in America:

"First, I want to express my profound appreciation to President Barak Obama for doing what all of the Republican candidates have not been able to do for months: he unified the Bible-believing church in America in one week over the issue of abortion.

"When the president ordered the Catholic Church to provide contraceptives to prevent the birth of new life, he hit a nerve in the heart of every true Catholic and evangelical.

"Being a politician, he will attempt to compromise his position until after the election and then release the full power of government to force the church to obey the state. Think about this! If he made this bold statement before the election, consider how brutal he will be if he is re-elected!

"I have said it before and I will say it again: the election on Nov. 6, 2012 for the office of president is the day of decision for America. Four more years of Obama will bring absolute socialism to America. Our children and grandchildren will never know the greatness of America that we have experienced.

"This must not happen! ... I am asking the Christians of America to join us in 40 days of prayer for this presidential election. These 40 days of prayer will begin on Sept. 28, 2012. You can do it individually or in groups, but prayer is the most powerful force God has given us to bring our nation back to righteousness. I'll be saying more about this as the year progresses, but mark it on your calendar and start telling your family, friends, and church members now about the 40 days of prayer."

Influencing the GOP's foreign policy

Hagee was recently included on a list compiled by Foreign Policy of the 50 Republicans who have the greatest influence on the GOP's foreign policy.

The list included such folks as Sen. John McCain; Bill Kristol, editor of Weekly Standard; former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; former vice president Dick Cheney and his daughter Liz, who heads up a group called Keep America Safe; Sheldon Adelson, Las Vegas casino magnate and owner of the free daily newspaper in Israel, "Israel Hayom" or "Israel Today"; John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; Dan Senor, the former spokesman for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq and a Romney foreign policy advisor; Karl Rove, Bush's brain and the founder of American Crossroads; Matt Drudge, creator and editor of Drudge Report.

According to Foreign Policy, Hagee's Christians United for Israel is the "largest pro-Israel group in the U.S. ... claim[ing] more than one million members and has done more than just about any other organization to make Israel a defining foreign-policy issue for evangelical Christians in the United States."

The Hagee factor

Foreign Policy's list notwithstanding, researcher and writer Rachel Tabachnick believes that Hagee's power has declined over the past few years. In an email she told me that: "When CUFI was founded, its D.C. summit drew American Jewish leaders from across the spectrum, including Democratic politicians and organizations. As it has become clear that CUFI is about promoting rightwing politics, Jewish participation has become limited to leaders with a history of working with the Christian Right. CUF